Why Me?
by Novembertopaz
Summary: My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I'm a foster child and can't seem to find the right place. Now that I might finally have a chance, I have to put up with Sasuke Uchiha? Did I mention his brother Itachi is my therapist? Why me? -Editing-
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Warning: This is an abuse story in the beginning, so if you are sensitive to that kind of stuff, don't read. A lot of these come from real experiences (though they've been switched to a boy's perspective) and may seem more real to some people. The first two chapters are rated MA; once we get past the abuse it will mellow out some. **

**AU. **

**Chapter One - In the Beginning.**

The five year old blond boy looked up at the strangers with wary blue eyes. His parents had died when he was only six months old and he'd lived in the foster care system ever since. They'd deemed it necessary to keep him until he was of school age and now they were sending him away. He felt sad that even the people he'd grown up around were being taken away from him. The man that stood before him was a little older than most guys who would have a five year old child, his hair, having already gone prematurely white, emphasized that fact. His charcoal gray eyes seemed kind though and Naruto found he wasn't quite so scared anymore. He looked at the woman next to him. She still had bright blond hair and appeared to be much younger than her husband, though in reality she wasn't. Her golden brown eyes conveyed nothing but warmth. He clutched the stuffed bear he'd inheritted from his mother to his chest and approached them.

"Hello Naruto," the woman said sweetly. "My name is Tsunade and this is my husband Jiraiya. Would you like to come stay with us?" She was giving him such a heart warming smile that he felt his mouth quirk upwards in response. She took that as a yes and grabbed his hand. The nice man grabbed his bags. Everyone who worked there came to say goodbye to him and he tried bravely not to cry. When he got to the new house, which was huge, there were two other children there waiting to greet him. "Naruto, this is Suigetsu; he's twelve years old. And this is Kin; she's only one," she said, motioning to the little girl standing in front of Suigetsu with a silly grin on her face. "They're also foster children." The boy had such light blond hair that it appeared white in the right light, and crystal blue eyes. The girl had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Suigetsu smiled timidly at him. Naruto tried his best to return the gesture.

"Here, follow me," Jiraiya said happily and led the way to Naruto's new room. It was nice and spacious, with a television and a VCR* on a desk near the bunk beds. The closet was pretty large too, with doors that slid open and shut easily. The walls weren't completely bare; the other occupant of this room had decorated them with posters. Suigetsu walked in and said, "I usually sleep on the bottom bunk because I'm lazy, but I don't really care where I sleep, so you can pick which one you'd like."

"I can take the top bunk," Naruto murmured, speaking the first words he'd uttered that day. He was feeling quite shy right now, and he was practically strangling his bear, Oko**. Suigetsu grinned at him.

"Cool. Well, let's get you unpacked." He took the trash bags from Jiraiya and started hanging the clothes on hangers, letting Naruto help and lifting him so that he could reach to hang them. Naruto was unaware of the loving stares they were receiving as they worked together. By the time they were done, Jiraiya had cooked dinner. When Naruto asked why Tsunade didn't do the cooking Suigetsu had whispered conspiratorially, "Jiraiya is pretty much as good as a five star cook. Tsunade, on the other hand, can even manage to burn water on her bad days, though no one knows how." Naruto had giggled at that and gone to eat dinner. When they were done they all sat around a coffe table and played gin rummy, which Naruto picked up quickly. But even the happiness of that moment didn't stop the silent tears from coming in the darkest hours that night.

Naruto was starting to get used to being part of a real family. Even if none of the kids were blood related to Jiraiya and Tsunade, they were still treated as such. Suigetsu had told him at one point that Tsunade couldn't have children of her own, so she gave everything she had to give and more to the ones she was able to bring into her life. They went to the zoo, the park, even Disneyland and Sea World once. When the summer was over they enrolled him in kindergarten. He found that he made friends easily and his teacher adored him. Everything was going wonderful until the day that _he_ showed up. Orochimaru. The man who looked at him with scary eyes. He didn't understand what that look meant, but he knew it was dangerous. He came to visit a few times, each time making Naruto tremble in fear when his creepy eyes landed on him. Then one day, while Suigetsu was still in school and Naruto was home because he only had a half day, Tsunade asked him if he could keep an eye on Naruto for her while she went shopping. Jiraiya was at work, and Kin was still in daycare for another hour; Tsunade would be bringing her home along with the groceries. Naruto was afraid to be left alone with him, but he didn't say anything because he didn't want to make his new mommy angry. No sooner had the car pulled away than the scary man turned to look at him intently.

"Come here, little boy," he whispered in that hissing voice of his that reminded Naruto of a snake. Naruto walked on shaky legs over to the unusually pale man. Orochimaru picked him up and sat him on his lap, smelled his hair, breathed down his neck. Naruto trembled. The man started rubbing him down there and it took all that the boy had not to cry out. He could feel something hard beneath him and knew exactly what it was, having learned at the early age of three how everything worked and exactly what sex was. He heard himself whimper as the man's lips touched his shoulder. "That's all for now," he murmured, shifting beneath the terrified boy so that he rubbed against the blond's thighs. "However, next time I'll want you to do more. Okay?" Naruto didn't answer, wondering why the man thought there would be a next time after he told Tsunade, until, "You're such a pretty boy. I really do love you, you know?" And that was all it took. Naruto knew he'd never tell a soul. Finally, somebody loved him.

"Is everything packed guys? You brought enough for the whole weekend?" Tsunade asked for the hundredth time. Both boys nodded meekly.

"They have everything they need, Honey. Now, we need to get going. Orochimaru already made dinner plans for us," Jiraiya said in exasperation. Naruto felt both a twinge of fear and an intense feeling of dread. He hadn't seen Orochimaru since that day, and even though he'd never tell anyone, what he might want to do to him next scared him. When they got there they barely had time to say hi and drop their stuff off before they were all heading out to dinner. At least at a restaurant the man couldn't try anything. When they went back to his place and all settled down to watch a movie, Naruto drifted off to sleep. Surely _he_ couldn't do anything while he was sleeping. Turns out it wasn't quite that simple.

Naruto awoke to someone shaking him gently. When he opened his eyes the sun blinded him, and he knew he'd slept through the night. But the hand over his mouth caught his attention and his eyes settled on Orochimaru as he tried to shush him. When he removed his hand he motioned for Naruto to follow and, fearing what would happen if he didn't, Naruto got up to follow. When they reached the bathroom he started sweating. What was he going to do to him now? It was still really early and no one was up besides the two of them. No one would ever know, especially if he didn't tell.

The man stood him on the toilet and kneeled on the floor in front of him before he pulled his pants down and started to touch him. Naruto closed his eyes and waited for it to be over, but unlike last time, this is not where it stopped. After he'd rubbed him long enough to satisfy his sadistic need the man took him into his mouth. Naruto wanted desperately to cry out in protest and began to wonder why he didn't until suddenly the man was pulling away from him. Orochimaru sighed and pulled his pants up. "Wait a minute to come out and then flush the toilet," he commanded quietly. Naruto was too thankful that it was over to argue. He heard the man speaking quite loudly after the door shut behind him. "Naruto's in the bathroom Tsunade. It seems we were out of toilet paper and I had to show him where it was. He should be out here in just a few minutes." Naruto shuddered at the feeling that coursed through him at the lie. He waited another minute and then flushed.

After he'd come out of the bathroom and everyone else had woken up and gathered in the living room, Orochimaru started handing out gifts. Naruto got a Blue's Clues handy dandy notebook. He wasn't sure how he felt about getting gifts from someone who was doing what _he_ was doing to him. He thought again about telling, but as though he'd read his mind beforehand, Orochimaru had written "I love you" in his little notebook. He sighed. No. He most definitely was not going to tell.

The next time he saw Orochimaru was at his sixth birthday. It was October tenth, nearly halfway through the school year, and he had a neighbor and some of Tsunade's and Jiraiya's family members over. He hadn't had the courage to invite anyone from school. Orochimaru gave him a knowing look all throughout the party. He didn't want to have today ruined and he found himself holding it so that he didn't have to use the bathroom while _he_ was here. Unfortunately, after several cups of cool aid, he couldn't hold it any longer. He tried to go as quickly as possible, but he was only just washing his hands as Orochimaru walked in. It had been too much to hope that someone at the party would notice a fully grown man following a little boy into the bathroom.

"Happy birthday Naruto." He pulled the boy's pants down and started to rub his backside. Naruto held his breath as his fingers spread his cheeks and got dangerously close to a place that other people weren't supposed to touch. He picked him up and set him on the counter, then started to use his mouth on his testicles. Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth. He felt Orochimaru's hands gripping his thighs tightly and a low whimper escaped his throat. And then the man did something completely new. He kissed him, full on the mouth. "Always remember that I love you." And Naruto's heart sank at the reminder that he must never tell.

He tried to ignore the bruises on his legs that night as he tried to go to sleep.

The next day the six of them went on a camping trip. They fished, and sang songs and roasted marshmallows over the fire. Naruto barely slept a wink that night as he cowered close to Suigetsu's back in order to keep Orochimaru at bay. It was a great relief when everyone else woke up. He'd very narrowly escaped that one.

He didn't see Orochimaru again for a few months. By that time Suigetsu was thirteen and Kin had just turned two. He was having problems at his apartment complex and was going to be staying with them for a little while. Naruto shivered at the thought. Every night they would sit in the living room and make some of Naruto's favorite things: lists. The only problem was that Naruto was sitting on Orochimaru's erection the entire time, trying not to wiggle even when he was uncomfortable because the man really liked it when he did. Every night the snake-like man would offer to tuck him in, only to close the door and make Naruto clutch the sheets in desperation to be anywhere else but where he was. Jiraiya bought him his first kite ever and even that experience was ruined by the creepy man. No one had time to do it, so Orochimaru volunteered, holding the kite while Naruto ran in order to pick up the wind. Instead of having fun, Naruto found himself wishing he could just keep running and never look back.

After nearly a month of living with Orochimaru, the situation was due to escalate. Naruto woke up early as he always did. He was usually up before everyone else. He heard his stomach growl and got up to go get breakfast. When he went towards the kitchen however, he couldn't resist a cautious peak inside the room that Orochimaru was sharing with Suigetsu. Naruto had been given a room all to himself, inadvertantly making it easier for Orochimaru to get to him. Unfortunately, peaking in had been a mistake. Orochimaru was awake and saw him out of the corner of his eye. He waved his hand in a gesture that clearly meant "come here". Naruto sighed and made his way over.

Orochimaru lifted the blanket for him and he reluctantly crawled under. The man pushed him down onto his back and grabbed his hand, holding it down by his side. Naruto felt something wet and yanked his hand back out from under the covers. "What was that?" he asked, trying to keep the quiver out of his voice.

Orochimaru threw the blankets back and showed him. "It's my penis. Do you want to touch it?" Naruto stared at the hideous scabs all over it and saw the blood that was the source of the wetness he'd felt on his fingers. He knew with complete certainty that he in fact did _not_ want to touch it. The choice was taken out of his hands as Orochimaru grabbed his much smaller hand and wrapped it around him. His fingers barely fit around the disgusting piece of flesh and that seemed to excite the older man. He started to move the boy's hand up and down and Naruto tried not to gag at all the blood he was touching. He wondered if Suigetsu, who was in the bunk above them, would wake up. Just as soon as the thought occured to him he found himself hoping with every fiber of his being that he didn't. If Suigetsu caught them then Orochimaru might start doing things to him too and Naruto didn't want that. Despite the fact that he didn't tell, he knew this was wrong. He didn't want anyone else to feel this kind of fear or self-loathing. There wasn't a time that this happened that he didn't feel extremely dirty afterwards. His hand suddenly felt even more wet and then he was free. The man was shuddering next to him and had released his hold on the boys hand. "You may go now," he whispered quietly.

Naruto left to go get breakfast and made sure to thoroughly wash his hand. He even scrubbed until his hand was raw just to make sure. He then climbed onto the counters and got a bowl and some cereal down as though nothing had happened. He poured his breakfast and waited for the safety that came with everyone waking up.

They were watching Naruto's favorite movie, The Lion King, and he was sitting on Orochimaru's lap as usual. However he noticed that the man was playing with Kin's hair and she was sitting way too close for comfort. He saw that look in _his_ eyes as _he_ looked interestedly at the tiny brunette. It was then that Naruto panicked. He saw Tsunade go to the bathroom and knew that Orochimaru hadn't seen. He squirmed as though in discomfort and said, "I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." Orochimaru removed his arm from around his waist to let him up and he walked as quickly as he possibly could without drawing suspicion. When he reached the bathroom door he walked in as though no one was in there and then shut it quickly and leaned against it. Tsnuade was startled and tried to cover herself with her shirt so that nothing was revealed.

"Naruto! What's wrong?" she asked worriedly as he tried to catch his breath. His heart felt like it was pounding out of his chest.

"Mom... I need to tell you something and you can't tell anyone. I just, I don't know what to do," he whimpered in distress.

"What is it, Sweetie?" she asked, instinctively lowering her voice to match his.

"Orochimaru... might hurt Kin. I'm scared that he will. He's looking at her the same way... the same way he looks at me before he... before he touches me..." He barely got the words out, but she understood. She was looking at him uncertainly.

"Touches you how?" she asked carefully.

"He puts his hand down there, and his mouth... and he makes me touch him... and he rubs himself on me... And I knew that it was wrong, but he told me he loved me and I couldn't tell so I didn't, but now he's looking at Kin and oh God he's going to touch her too! You've got to help me figure out what to do!" He felt the tears streaming down his face, but he didn't care. "You can't tell him I told you though. Please. He won't love me anymore if you do..." he whispered, his voice trailing away.

She was looking at him in horror and she shook her head slowly. "Go back to him and act like nothing's wrong. I'll come tell you that your Dad want's to talk to you guys. Suigetsu too. We'll figure this out together Naruto. Don't worry. You did the right thing by telling me." He nodded and left in a daze, sitting back on the man's lap automatically. Tsunade came to the doorway a few moments later with Suigetsu at her side, looking frightened. "Hey guys. Daddy want's to talk to you before you go to sleep. Come on. Tell Orochimaru goodnight and come along." Naruto did his best to act casual as he said goodnight and tried not to focus on the chaste kiss he placed on his lips before he left.

"Remember Naruto, you must never tell," he whispered in his ear just before he left and Naruto did his best to suppress a tremor. He knew Tsunade saw it though. She clutched them all tightly to her sides as they headed for her room.

"Mom? What's going on?" Suigetsu asked, scared.

"We'll talk about it later," she murmured distractedly. When they reached her room she locked the door behind her. "Jiraiya, Orochimaru has to get out. Now!"

Jiraiya was stunned. "Why on earth are you acting like this?"

"He is molesting my children!" she hissed.

"What!" Jiraiya roared and even though Naruto didn't know what the word meant he figured Tsunade had done exactly what he'd asked her not to do and told.

"Tell him what you told me Naruto," Tsunade said softly.

Naruto started sobbing uncontrolably. "You told, Mom. Now he's not going to love me anymore."

She hugged him tightly. "Shhhh. It's okay. Just tell your father what you told me, Love."

"He's going to touch Kin!" he wailed. "I wouldn't have told if I didn't think he was going to hurt her too! I couldn't let him..." he sobbed harder.

"Calm down son. Please tell me everything," Jiraiya murmured gently, trying to appear as unthreatening as possible.

"H-he touches me w-with h-his hands an-and his m-mouth and he m-m-makes me-e touch him, and h-he's looking at Kin th-the way h-he looks at m-me and I d-don't w-want it to ha-happen to h-her too!" At this point he collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Suigetsu. Has Orochimaru ever done anything to you?" Jiraiya asked a little more sharply than he should have.

"N-no! Never! I had no idea! I swear! If I'd known I definitely would have told you, honest!" He looked stunned. Kin was crying now too because of Naruto and Suigetsu picked her up to try and comfort her. Tsunade put them all in the bed next to theirs that Kin usually had all to herself. Then the two adults spent the next few hours calling everyone they possibly could. Naruto couldn't stop crying, he felt so disgusting. Now not only did Orochimaru not love him anymore, but everybody knew he was a bad, filthy little boy and he would probably be punished. When Tsunade left the room and then came back to tell Jiraiya that she'd kicked the other man out of the house, Naruto cried so hard he fell asleep.

***Yes, we still used VCRs when I was growing up. In fact, I think I didn't even know about DVD players until the Playstation 1 came out. **

****Don't ask me where the name came from. I was around two when I made it up. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**AU. Rated MA.**

**Chapter Two - Happiness Crumbles.**

Naruto constantly lived with the shame of what had happened to him over the span of about a year. His parents had called one of the best defense lawyers, along with a top-notch detective, and had gotten him a therapist along the way. The truly degrading part had come less than a week after he'd told his mother. They'd taken him to a specialist who had taken pictures to make sure no penetration had ever actually taken place. If dying of embarrassment was possible, he would have done it when they put his feet up in those stirrups and stuck a camera between his legs. He'd gotten a couple of stuffed animals from his detective who realized that he needed something else to focus on while he was talking about the experience.

His therapist had given him a Tigger stuffed animal and called her daughter in to talk to him. He felt a little better after they're discussion. She understood how he felt. Their court date kept getting postponed, and before he knew it he was turning seven. Everyone from the "family" came over, but every time he heard them whispering it was inevitably about _that man_ and _that boy_ and what they had done together. Every sentence seemed to start with, "Did you hear that Naruto was molested? Yeah, it was that Orochimaru guy." He was ready to cry by the end of the party. Suigetsu had become extremely protective of him ever since he'd found out, and he remained by his side the entire night, offering comfort. Naruto had noticed a change in his parents over the last few months. Jiraiya had a temper, which was unusual in and of itself. Tsunade was never awake after about eight o'clock at night anymore because she drank. They seemed to be enjoying the party so he tried not to ruin it.

His day to testify finally came towards the end of first grade and he was called to the stand. Everyone was staring at him. He sat in the gray spinning chair and spun from side to side, keeping his gaze from landing on any one person in particular. His parents showed their full support for him, and the judge was very nice, but he still felt like everyone was accusing him. It was hours of excruciating details. He hated reliving it, hated seeing the loathing in Orochimaru's eyes as he stood before him. His lawyer was particularly rude, and Naruto's was no longer the funny guy he'd come to know, but a cool professional. And then it was finally over. Orochimaru got twenty-four years in prison.

But all good things must come to an end, as if they hadn't already. One night Jiraiya and Tsunade were arguing. Suigetsu, who was barely going on fourteen, dared to speak up and try to calm them down. It had the desired effect on Tsunade, but Jiraiya, who had been drinking too that night, turned violent. He tried to tan Suigetsu's ass with his leather belt, but the kid sat down and refused to present his backside. So Jiraiya beat every inch of him he could reach instead. Suigetsu was crying, arms up to protect his face and head, by the time Tsunade had managed to intervene. At which point Jiraiya smacked her across the room. Naruto called the cops. They arrived before anything too bad could happen, but they took all three of them away from the only family Naruto and Kin had ever known. What hurt the most was the fact that Naruto had caused all of this by opening his big, fat mouth. He was only barely seven years old when he said goodbye to his brother and sister to once again wait for a family. Hopefully this time he wouldn't ruin everything.

At eleven years old he got tired of waiting around. He decided that if grown ups could make it in the real world so could he. The first week or so was rough, sleeping in alleys and portioning the food he'd stolen when he'd left. He was hungry, he was cold, and he was seriously considering going back, until a nice businessman bought him a hotdog. That was when he realized that hungry and cold meant dinner, and he used them to his advantage. His first mugging made him glad he had nothing of any value with him. They never bothered his teddy bear, so he was okay. He was even colder that night due to the blood that was still seeping from his fresh wounds. It was around month two that he started dumpster diving, and around month three when he started making signs. He made enough money for a decent meal sometimes, and on occasion he could afford a soda to go with it. He hit a rough patch somewhere around Winter, but he managed to stumble upon over a hundred unopened boxes of strawberry poptarts. He considered himself lucky that he found them just as he was on the verge of giving in to starvation. He ate thirteen of them that day, and then hid the rest carefully so that he could save them for emergencies. He became the king of the streets and eventually came to the conclusion that nothing could go wrong once you'd hit rock bottom. It was then, after a year of living by his own means, that he was caught and taken back to foster care. He cursed himself for jinxing things and prepared himself for another six years of hell.

When he was thirteen, he was placed in a home with a man and his common law wife, along with her daughter. Zabuza, his new dad, had that look in his eyes, though he still seemed slightly sane. His girlfriend, Shizune, was rather strict and kept threatening to send him to Catholic school. Her daughter was the only one he could relate to in the whole household. Karin was a little older than him, twenty-one years old to be exact, and had a son of her own, Haku. He was barely a year old. Everything, aside from the strict mother, seemed to be going fine until one day Zabuza came home from work, while Naruto was all alone, and popped in a porno. Which turned into five pornos... in which he proceeded to relieve himself while sitting next to him on the couch. Naruto tried to ignore the furtive movements of the other man's hand, but he felt the tension inside him growing as he wondered if he was going to try to touch him as well. When the last porno was done, Zabuza placed his hand on Naruto's thigh. Naruto practically jumped out of his skin. He barely restrained a whimper.

"Well, after all that, I could use a nap. Are you tired?" Not knowing what to say, Naruto nodded in response. "Good. Come with me." Naruto gulped as he followed the substantially more muscular man into the room he'd only seen the inside of a handful of times. He saw Zabuza pat the bed and nervously he got under the covers, clothes and all. It wasn't until Zabuza cuddled up to him that Naruto realized the other man had stripped. Their bare legs entertwined because Naruto's shorts didn't cover as much as he now wished they did, and his shirt betrayed him by sliding up and allowing Zabuza's pubic hair to rub against his back. The hard buldge against his rear made him freeze, the arm around his waist feeling suffocating, but then the other man's snores made their way to his ears and he blew out a large breath.

When the man got up and dressed in front of him, Naruto was unable to avert his eyes quick enough not to see his arousal and it made him sick. But then Zabuza was passing him a joint and suddenly it didn't matter anymore.

Naruto used every excuse he could to get out of the house and away from the freaky pervert. At least he hadn't actively tried anything yet. When Karin offered to take him to her new boyfriend's house, since Deidara had taken their son for the weekend, Naruto was jumping to go. They picked up some Jin and Juice on the way there, but no one was willing to drink any after the first sip. After the first few minutes of listening to them having sex in the bedroom while watching Jugo's roomate play Black Ops he decided willing might not be such a big factor. The first few drinks were unbearably disgusting, but it slowly started to kick in and he didn't care anymore. He sat on the edge of the chair so he could try to avoid the roaches. He'd lived in close proximity with them for nearly a year, but that didn't mean he liked them crawling on him. His roomate started to talk to him. He was a little too far gone to come up with smart answers, but at least he was still capable of answering in a way that made sense. Jugo's roomate, Naruto learned, was named Kabuto. He was twenty-five years old and had just gotten out of jail after a six year sentence. Naruto was still fuzzy on why he'd been in jail in the first place, but figured what the hell.

They went home and he thought that was it, but then Kabuto came with Jugo to Haku's second birthday party. It wasn't long before he found himself making out with the man behind the firewood stack. He was on Kabuto's lap, straddling him, and they were rubbing together in every way possible with clothes on. Karin didn't say anything and no one else noticed. It was a few nights later that they snuck into the room that Karin and Naruto shared. Jugo and Karin started to get down to business right away, but Naruto sat a few prudent inches from Kabuto, feeling awkward. When clothes started coming off on the other side of the room, Kabuto rubbed Naruto's thigh. Naruto's breathing hitched until, "You go below the waist and I'll kill you myself." It was Karin talking and he was immensely grateful.

Before he could fully comprehend what was happening he was on his back with Kabuto pressed intimately against him. He was so heavy that Naruto could barely breathe. They were making out like usual when Kabuto lifted Naruto's shirt over his head and sucked on a nipple. It was at that point that Karin and Jugo went into the living room for more privacy. The sounds of their activities carried just enough to set the mood for Kabuto. The man had his cock out before Naruto could blink and was leading his hand down to it. Naruto swallowed nervously before wrapping his fingers around him and stroking. What happened to not below the waist?

"I want to do you," Kabuto grumbled and started trying to undo his pants.

"No. Not below the waist, remember?" he said urgently, struggling against the man's hands.

"She's not in here to see," he muttered and managed to reach his hand inside Naruto's pants. Naruto jolted as the familiar nausea rose into his throat. "If I can't have you then I at least want a blowjob."

Naruto's eyes went wide and he tried to shove the man off of him. "No!" he opened his mouth to say, but that right there was his mistake. That single second of non-resistance was all it took for Kabuto to force his way into Naruto's mouth. Naruto was stunned. He tried to work past the shock to figure out a way out of this, but then Kabuto was moving and he was choking.

"Ah, so you have gag reflexes, huh?" he asked, sounding delighted. He did it again, almost succeeding in making him throw up. And then it was over. Warm liquid filled his mouth and the abnormally large member was gone. Not knowing what to do he swallowed. Kabuto barely had time to fix his pants before the other two returned and Jugo and left with him out the window. Naruto laid in bed and tried not to cry. It wasn't until Zabuza came in to kiss him goodbye before work in the morning, his hard lips lingering on Naruto's soft ones far longer than necessary, that he realized he had to get the hell out of there.

His next encounter wasn't so unpleasant. Sure it was with a couple of twenty-one year olds, and it was rather awkward, but it was much calmer. A new boyfriend, Mizuki, snuck through the window and started to make out with Karin. Karin looked over to where he was sitting on the other side of the room, trying not to look at the spectacle, and she motioned him over.

"He's kind of cute," Mizuki said with a low laugh. Karin started to kiss him, and okay, this was definitely weird, but then Mizuki was sucking on his nipples and he attempted to focus solely on the kiss. Then they switched, and while Karin was rubbing Naruto's hands over her breasts, Mizuki was kissing him, slipping his tongue into his mouth. After a moment the older two made their way to the floor, Karin on her hands and knees with Mizuki behind her, and Naruto thought it was over. But then she was beckoning him to sit in front of her and he was helpless to do anything but comply. She kissed him again, roughly, as Mizuki started to thrust. And then she was offering him her breast and guiding his mouth to it. He sucked on it clumsily, not knowing exactly what he was doing, and she kept whispering things to him that frightened him. And then Mizuki was thrusting too hard for him to keep her breast in his mouth and the next thing he knew his shirt was off and she was biting him all over. His neck, his shoulders, his chest, his nipples; everywhere she could reach she would sink her sharp teeth into. And then, once again, it was over. He felt shaken, unbelievably disturbed by what had just happened. Then Mizuki looked at him and murmured to Karin, "I want him next." He felt a moment of dread, especially as the man shifted towards him slightly, but then Karin got mad and kicked him out. He definitely needed to get out of here before anything more happened.

As it turns out, one of the neighbors, Chio, had seen enough of what was going on to report it. When the authorities arrived and talked to Karin, the girl admitted to everything she'd been involved in and told them everything Naruto had told her about Zabuza. He was once again in the foster care system exactly one year after leaving it.

It was another year before he found yet another dysfuntional home. His new guardians were Nagato and Konan. No children this time, though he wasn't exactly sure that was a good thing. Konan was a drug addict, especially since she was a nurse and could get her hands on the good ones. Nagato was an abusive drunk. It quickly became routine for Konan to watch Nagao beat Naruto while she had a needle in her arm. Sometimes the beatings weren't bad. Sometimes they were worse than anything he could ever imagine. During his stay there, which was about nine months long, he sustained a fractured radius, a broken femur, a dislocated shoulder, several broken ribs and fingers, and a burn mark that just kept getting worse as it peeled until it became infected. That was only what he got from Nagaot however. Konan was different. Once she started in on the torture she used her favorite knife on him to carve designs into his pale skin. Of course, they were all in places that could be easily hidden, which meant that it generally happened while his clothes were off.

It started with just the beatings, but after a while things escalated whenever Konan was at work. Sometimes ropes and blindfolds were involved, making him feel, if possible, even more helpless. Most of the time it was a mild sedative slipped into his drink or food that made him just sleepy enough to be incapable of defending himself, but not sleepy enough to miss even a single second of the agony that came once the drug took effect. Nagato would carry him into his room, lay him on his bed, and then roughly screw him until Naruto wished the world would just end right there. Naruto limped most of the time after this development, and silly boy that he was, he thought things couldn't get any worse. But, on yet another occasion, he was dead wrong.

Once Konan caught them at it she wanted to join in. And then it wasn't just Nagato's hardened flesh that was penetrating him, but much, much more. And to top it off, Konan only let Nagato have his fun if she could have hers, which is where the knife comes in. Nine agonizing months of this. It was no surprise to anyone that when the social worker came to check on him he was half dead. He was emaciated, dehydrated, anemic due to so much blood loss and no way to replace the iron, and ready to just surrender his life to anyone who would end his suffering.

It took him a long time to recover from that one. By the time he had he was sixteen and ready to start his Junior year in high school. Maybe this time he could stay in long enough to make it through the year.

When he found out his new parents were gay he nearly wept with despair. Was there no end to his suffering? He saw the brunette smiling warmly at him in the distance, saw the gray haired man next to him, his lower face covered by a scarf. He knew what really hid behind that unthreatening smile. He braced himself for what was yet to come and silently repeated his mantra one last time. Just two more years and then I'm free.

**Wow. I can't believe how many times I accidentally used first person in this chapter. Thank God I proof read. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter Three - What Now?**

The new house was spacious. He thought it a little odd that two men who lived alone and shared a room owned a three story house with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, but apparently the brunette, Iruka, had inheritted it when his parents died.

The other man, Kakashi, said, "The main part of the downstairs is the game room. We have everything from foosball and pool to Skyrim and Call of Duty: Black Ops. You're welcome to anything and everything. Our room is attached to it, but we're both heavy sleepers, so you don't have to worry about noise. As far as meals go, we generally try to have dinner together, but there are no guarantees. The other meals tend to be fend for yourself, unless Iruka gets into one of his cooking moods, so feel free to eat whenever you're hungry. The only rule we have as far as that goes is please tell us when you eat the last of something so that we can replace it.

"There is one room with an attached bathroom on this floor and two upstairs with a conjoining bathroom. You can have whichever one you want. We do our own laundry around here, so if you run out you have no one to blame but yourself. No bed time as long as you're up in time for school. Wake up time for weekends is noon. As far as homework goes, I don't care when or if you do it as long as you maintian C's or higher. Should you choose to participate in household chores you will get an allowence of twenty dollars every Saturday. I don't care if you work or not, but we will only buy you necessities unless it's a special occasion. Therefore, if you find yourself wanting more than twenty bucks a week can get you, like an Iphone or something, and you can't wait for your birthday or Christmas then I recommend getting one. Now, we'll leave you to unpack."

Naruto decided this might actually turn out okay. He explored the house and chose the room on the right upstairs. After unpacking his few possessions he made his way to the game room where he was pleased to find a book case full of books. He spent the next few hours curled up on the couch down there with an intense mystery novel. Kakashi popped his head in around sundown. "Iruka's making dinner and wanted to know if there is anything in particular you'd like?"

Naruto was surprised. He actually had a choice? The truth was, he didn't really know what he liked because he had always just eaten what was given to him. "Um, no. Nothing special. I'll have whatever you're having," he replied.

"Oh good. You're not picky." Kakashi, who had taken the scarf off, was smiling at him. Naruto was stunned at the scars on his face. He realized with a feeling of dread that they were burn marks. So these people were into torture. He shivered as Kakashi left the room. He decided it would probably make a good impression if he didn't make them come get him for dinner so he made his way up when he started to smell the food. He silently went to help Iruka set the table and saw the surprised look on the man's face. When they all sat down to eat, the two men bowed their heads in silent prayer. Not knowing exactly how to do it, he bowed his head and said a clumsy prayer himself. Then they were all digging in and Naruto found that the food was delicious.

Tentatively he said, "I don't really know what kind of food I like, but is it okay if I put this on the list?" He figured sucking up might not hurt, especially when it wasn't a lie.

Iruka smiled happily at him. "Sure you can. I'm glad you like it. I don't understand what you mean by not knowing what kind of food you like though," he added seriously.

"Well, I usually just eat what is given to me. I'm not used to having a choice, so I'll have to see what I really like as we go along here," he explained, not knowing how strange he sounded. Iruka wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead he was staring at his plate.

"Well then, I'll have to get creative with dinner, won't I?" he replied softly.

"I don't want you to go to any trouble," Naruto said quickly, practically stumbling over the words in fear.

The brunette shook his head. "Don't be silly. It won't be any trouble at all."

Naruto released his breath when he realized there would be no pain at the moment. Perhaps they were waiting until he fell asleep? Lulling him into a false sense of security maybe? He ate his food a little faster and cleared the table before doing dishes. Maybe if they thought he was a good housekeeper they wouldn't hurt him. When he was done with dishes he wiped the stove and the counters down. After that he snuck quietly to his room. He didn't sleep a wink that night.

When he got up that morning he found himself alone in the house. He got out the vacuum and made sure to get every inch of carpet he possibly could, even going so far as to move the furniture in order to be thorough. When that was done he proceeded to sweep and mop all the tile surfaces. After that he cleaned all three bathrooms, making sure the toilet paper was stocked in all of them and the mirrors were streakless. He dusted and polished and everything else he could think of, but he was still done long before lunch time. He made himself a pepperoni sandwich and ate it over the trash can so that he wouldn't get crumbs anywhere or dirty any dishes. After that he took the trash out and then went downstairs to read. He was interrupted around five o'clock by by the sound of the front door opening.

"Well would you look at that?" a voice murmured and he was pretty sure it was Iruka. Even though Kakashi seemed stricter, he was still more afraid of the younger male now that he'd seen the older man's scars. He stayed glued to the couch, waiting for something to happen, and then quickly burried his nose in the book when he heard footseps on the stairs. "Naruto? You down here?"

Naruto panicked. If he said yes then he'd know for sure, but if he didn't answer and he was caught it might be worse. "Yes, Sir." Iruka came into view.

"You know, we didn't bring you here to be a maid," he said with a chuckle. Naruto shivered. "I appreciate the help, but you don't have to go all out like that. You're only one third of this family and by no means should you do mare than a third of the work, okay?" He was smiling, but Naruto was crying inside. He'd made the scary man mad. The funny thing was, he didn't have those eyes. Naruto didn't know what to make of that. Did he have a split personality? "Do you know how to cook?" the man asked suddenly and Naruto jumped, quickly pulling out of his own thoughts.

"No," he whispered, fearing what would happen now that Iruka knew he couldn't do even that simple task.

"Why don't you come upstairs with me and I'll teach you? It's about time for dinner and Kakashi will be home within the hour." Naruto was too scared to refuse so he stood up and walked over to the stairs.

Once in the kitchen he asked timidly, "How was your day, Sir?"

Iruka laughed. "Please, just call me Iruka. And it was good for the most part. I have this one student though who is always getting the others riled up and he really gets on my nerves. Today he actually set a thumb tack on my chair. I mean, come on. If you're big enough to go to college at least come up with a prank that isn't popular in middle school." By the time he was done with his little rant he was waving the wooden spoon around in the air and Naruto was cowering behind his arms in an instinctive attempt to keep the abuse away from his head and face. There was a long moment of silence before Iruka said in the softest voice he'd ever heard, "Naruto, please look at me." Naruto didn't remove his arms, but he did peak. Iruka had laid the spoon down and was holding his hands out, palms up, in an unthreatening manner. "I'm not going to hurt you Naruto," he murmured quietly, looking pained. "I would never hurt you." Naruto couldn't take it anymore; he fled the house, running as fast and as far as he could.

He stopped running when he saw a horse near the side of the road. He was behind a fence, but he approached Naruto despite that. Naruto went up to the outside of the fence and reached out a hand. The horse met him halfway, pressing his nose into the boy's palm. Naruto pet him, murmuring to him in a gentle voice.

"Hey! Who are you?" came a rough voice. Naruto jerked and the horse neighed in protest.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to the horse as he turned to face the boy who was making his way over to him. He was about Naruto's height, a little more on the muscley side, and had red hair, green eyes and seemed to be wearing makeup around his eyes. "My name is Naruto," he said in response to the boy's question.

"What are you doing here?" the boy asked curiously as he stopped just in front of Naruto.

"I'm not really sure. I was, uh, taking a run and I saw your horse. I just wanted to pet him. I'm sorry if I caused any harm."

"Nah. It's just, Kaze there doesn't really like strangers so I was surprised."

"He seemed friendly to me," Naruto said, letting the disbelief ring through in his voice.

"Exactlly. Do you have a job?" the boy asked strangely.

"No... I'm new here," Naruto replied quietly.

"Do you want one?" the boy asked with a raised brow.

"Would I... get to work with Kaze?" he asked slowly.

"Duh. We need a trainer. He's a little difficult, even with people he knows, and we need someone who can care for him as well as teach him. You think you're up for it?"

"When can I start?" he asked eagerly when he heard that.

"Whenever you want," the boy said in surprise.

"Right now?" he asked excitedly.

"Don't you even want to know what the job pays before you jump right into it?" the boy asked incredulously.

"I'll take free rides in exchange for my services," he offered.

The redhead stared at him as though he'd grown two heads. "You're mental. Were you running from an insane asylum?"

Naruto laughed a little nervously. "No. Just my, uh, dad..."

"So how does a hundred and fifty a week sound?" the other boy asked, crossing his arms.

"If you let me start right now I'll take it." They both grinned at each other.

"My name's Gaara. You go to school?"

"I'm supposed to start at the beginning of the new school year. Junior year. I'm going to some place called Konoha high from what I've gathered."

"That's where I go." The boy grinned. "And I'm going into Junior year too. Maybe we'll have some classes together. How old are you?"

"Just turned sixteen. You?"

"Turning seventeen here soon." They'd reached the end of the driveway that Naruto hadn't noticed they'd been walking down and the redhead stepped into the house they were standing in front of. "Hey, Dad! I found someone to work with Kaze and he's willing to do it for only a hundred and fifty a week!" he shouted.

"That's great!" came a very deep voice. Suddenly a man with brown hair and almost black eyes came around the corner. He looked at Naruto and sized him up. "Are you sure you know what you're getting into kid? Kaze's been known to throw stronger riders than you and you're pretty scrawny."

Naruto decided not to take offense to that. Gaara spoke up. "Kaze likes him, Dad. He was petting him when I saw them."

"Well now, that's new. I guess we'll have to see how it goes. You're hired."

Naruto couldn't hold back his smile. "Thank you, Sir."

"Call me 'Boss'. Nah, just kidding. The name's Shukaku Kage. And you are?"

"Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki." Things were definitely looking up.

Naruto only went home long after night had fallen. He'd left Gaara's house around ten o'clock, but he'd still wandered around for another couple of hours. Being out on the streets after dark wasn't exactly new to him, and he felt safer way out here in the countryside than he had in the city. When midnight rolled around he finally headed back, hoping beyond hope that they'd be asleep already. He cautiously climbed a tree in front of the house that enabled him to get onto the roof, which was where is bedroom window was located. He eased it open, inch by agonizing inch, making sure he made no noise. When he was finally inside and had shut his window he carefully cracked his door open so that he could see if the coast was clear.

"What if he doesn't come home?" Iruka was saying in a worried tone.

"He'll come back. He may even come back tonight. That's why we left the door unlocked, remember?" Kakashi soothed.

"It's all my fault. I went into one of my rants about Suigetsu and I was waving my arms around like I always do. I've had this strange feeling that he's afraid of me, and now I know I was right. What do I do Kakashi? I don't want him to be scared of me."

"I'm sure it's all just a misunderstanding," Kakashi was saying, but Naruto was barely listening. He had quit breathing the moment he'd heard Suigetsu's name. Was it possible? Could he find the person Iruka was talking about and see if he remembered a little orphan boy with golden blond hair and sapphire blue eyes? Would he remember Naruto even if it was really his Suigetsu?

"I think he's been abused, Kakashi. I'm almost sure of it. You're the chief of police, can't you request his records? I need to know what I'm dealing with here if I have any hope of helping him."

"I'll see what I can do," Kakashi said comfortingly. "Let's go to bed, Love. He'll come back when he's ready."

Naruto heard Iruka sigh, but both men made their way downstairs to their room.

Naruto set his watch alarm for five a.m. and tried to get some sleep. When it went off he woke up, feeling just as rested as if he'd slept for twice that amount of time. He pulled on some fresh clothes, snuck downstairs quietly and made himself some toast with butter. Just as he was heading for the door, a voice came from directly behind him.

"You know, I'm not the chief of police for shits and giggles. You're pretty predicatble. Now, we need to talk. Make sure you're back before dinner." And then Naruto was alone again. He shivered at the feeling of having someone sneak up on you and then shook himself roughly to dispell the sensation. Then he headed to Gaara's house.

He walked up to the place he'd first met Kaze and the horse trotted up to him happily. He climbed the fence and led the horse to the other side of the pasture where there were a few trees and sat down there to rest until he was summoned. His job was to train Kaze afterall, so it wouldn't be strange to see them together. It was nearly six o'clock now since he'd walked roughly a mile to get here. He started talking softly to the horse. "I hear you are a stubborn one." Kaze whinnied softly. "I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I mean, if they take away our will, what's left? An empty shell. That should never happen to something as beautiful as you." The horse nibbled at his hair and he laughed. "We had better do something before we get caught being lazy. If you're out and about already that means that someone else is too."

"Too late," came a muffled voice. He looked up in surprise to see Gaara sitting in the same tree he'd been leaning against.

"I was just reinforcing our bond with a little small talk," he said defensively.

"Don't worry. I don't mind that you're here. I think talking to him and establishing a friendly relationship is a good thing. He obviously trusts you, so I'm not going to question your methods."

"Thanks," he sighed in relief.

"But that doesn't mean my dad won't. You're right. We should get to work before we get caught being lazy." They grinned at each other and made their way to the training ring.

**I completely made up Gaara's dad's name. He's only ever refered to as the Kazekage, so I figured I would change that since this is AU. It's obvious where Shukaku came from. Kaze means wind and it sounded like a nice name for a horse, plus I figured that I should keep the word in the family. That just left Kage; I figured since both Gaara and his father had been Kazekage that it fit nicely as a last name. Gaara is never given a last name in the series either.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter Four - The Talk**

Naruto got home around six that evening, and he didn't bother climbing the tree. Kakashi had requested his presence and he thought it best to just get it over with. When he walked in he found Kakashi sitting alone at the table drinking a beer and he cringed inside. The man didn't turn to face him, just said, "Take a seat." Naruto sat.

"Where's Iruka?" he asked quietly.

"In the bedroom trying to figure out how to be around you without frightening you. He's been there all day, even called in sick for work." He paused for a moment. "He read your file. I'll be the first to admit it's not pretty. Now he's scared that even being around you will scare you and he's trying to come up with a way to appear less threatening. He's got it in his head that you're especially afraid of him, and while I'd never tell him I'm inclined to agree. So spill. College professors aren't exactly scary, especially Iruka because he's very kind, and I'd think that if you were to be afraid of anyone it would be the one who carries a gun. So why are you scared of him?"

Naruto didn't know if he was going to answer, or if he was going to tell the truth. He was slightly surprised when he did both. "You're face," he whispered, looking at the table as though it were the most fascinating thing in the world. He could tell the man was taken aback by that.

"My face? You mean my scars? Why would that make you afraid of _him_?" he asked, astonished.

"If he likes fire, then I'm going to be hurting quite a lot while I'm here, right?" he said calmly.

"You think _Iruka_ did this to me?" he nearly shouted in horror.

Naruto looked up at that. "You mean he didn't?" he questioned, hoping that he'd been wrong.

"Of course not. I got this saving a woman when her husband set the house on fire and locked her in. I went in without thinking and forgot to get a wet rag. I happened to be a little unlucky. Why on earth would you think that Iruka did it?" He stopped and Naruto watched the man study him. "Do you have any burn scars?" Naruto silently turned around and lifted up his shirt to reveal a nasty scar, even worse than Kakashi's, about mid back. "Now I understand," the man said quietly.

"That's why I recognized what kind of scars they were." He let his shirt drop back down.

"How did that one happen? It was in the report of course, and the pictures of it when they first found you looked extremely painful, but it said nothing of how you got it."

"My last foster parents caught me trying to sneak out so that I could find someone who'd help me. They had a lot of fun with me that night. Konan liked knives and she heated one of hers up with a torch. Luckily I passed out from the pain pretty quickly. It wasn't until I woke up the next morning with one of the worst pains I'd ever felt on my back that I remembered what had happened. It got terribly painful once it got infected."

Kakashi sighed. "We're not like that, Naruto. We don't believe in torture, and we rarely even raise our voices. You're safe here. We're not going to hurt you." Naruto looked at him seriously, trying to determine whether or not he was lying. Then he nodded and stood up.

"I should apologize to Iruka. I know I worried him. I heard you guys talking last night."

"Really? How'd you get inside without us knowing?" he asked in surprise.

"Tree, roof, window. The usual." He smiled a little before heading downstairs. He knocked on the door.

"For the thousandth time, I'm not hungry Kakashi. I told you, I just need some time alone, okay?" Naruto felt really bad now that he knew the man wasn't eating because of him. He dared to open the door and step inside. The brunette was already turning around to scold Kakashi for interrupting him and Naruto saw him practically skid to a stop. "Naruto?"

"I'm sorry for worrying you. I promise I'll make it up to you. I have a job and I'll take you and Kakashi out to dinner when I get paid. Sound good?" The other man was clearly stunned.

"You don't have anything to make up for. It was my fault. I'm just glad you're okay." Naruto knew he wanted to hug him, but he wasn't exactly ready for that yet. He decided to try smiling at the man.

"I'd still like to take you guys out for a night."

"That sounds wonderful," Iruka responded gently.

Naruto shuffled his feet around and stared at the floor. "I was thinking, about the student you were talking about. I think I'd like to meet him and give him a piece of mind. Could I go with you to work tomorrow?" He almost winced at the half lie, but it was too personal and he was afraid of getting his hopes up.

"Um, sure. I don't see why not. You won't be able to sit in on the class though."

"That's okay. I'll see him before class and then catch a bus home. I have to work tomorrow anyway."

"Sounds like a plan. You'll need to be up and ready by seven though," he added thoughtfully.

"Deal. So, um, I was wondering... I'm kind of hungry and wanted to know if that cooking lesson is still available."

Iruka jumped up. "Of course it is. Let's go make dinner. I'm sure Kakashi is hungry too. That man can't cook to save his life." Naruto smiled and followed him to the kitchen. Kakashi smiled gratefully at him when they walked by. After dinner he went up to Kakashi.

"What happens when you change?" he asked determinedly, looking the man in the eye.

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone changes. My first foster family was great until I ruined it. Then my mom started drimking a lot and my dad became abusive. So what happens when I mess up and you change?"

"Nothing because it won't happen. Naruto, I know what happened to you in that house. What you did was both brave and understandable. You did the right thing, and it was by no means your fault that your parents fell apart. They couldn't handle their failure so they tried to block it out. But it was their failure Naruto, not yours."

Naruto had a tough time believing that and even shook his head slightly to convey his feelings, but Kakashi put his hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly at him. "What if you guys get like that though? If it was their fault, then who's to say you won't blame yourselves for something I do?"

"You saw how we deal with that. I drink a beer and think, Iruka locks himself in a room and thinks. We're used to failure, but that also means we learn from our mistakes and don't fall apart when we make them. We won't change Naruto. I promise." Naruto was worried that they were wrong, but decided for once in his life to give someone the benefit of the doubt.

He was up by four that morning, unable to sleep well because of his excitement. When six thirty rolled around he got up and got dressed, brushed his hair and teeth. He didn't want to eat because his stomach was in knots. He was at the front door waiting for Iruka at seven on the dot. Iruka looked a little surprised when he saw him there, waiting like a puppy who needed to go outside, and more than a little confused as to his eagerness. "Good morning," the boy offered.

Iruka smiled at him. "Good morning Naruto. Ready to go?"

"Yep." He opened the door for the teacher and followed him out. The drive there was silent and the walk to his classroom a little scary because of all the looks he was getting. He was obviously too young to be here. When the students started to filter in Naruto held his breath. When he caught sight of someone who looked strikingly like an albino his heart started beating double time. The boy was already saying something smart when he caught sight of Naruto and froze mid sentence. They stood there staring at each other, then the older boy said warily, "Naruto?"

"I knew it was you," he whispered as he approached his older brother. The older boy pulled him into a bear hug and then dragged him outside.

"What are you doing here? You shouldn't be old enough to go here yet."

"Iruka is my new foster dad. What are you doing here?"

"I was placed in a home here when I was fifteen and I've been here ever since. Everyone here is so nice, even if they are a little stuck up sometimes."

"I can't believe I'm actually seeing you again. I thought I'd never meet you again."

"Me too, though I did try to look. I've tried looking for Kin too, but no luck. I can't believe you're really here." He hugged him again and Naruto was reluctant to let him go. "Give me a minute to go talk to Iruka Sensei and I'll be right back." Naruto stuck his head in to hear what the boy would say. He bowed first then said, "I apologize for my past behavior and hope that you will be able to forgive me. Unfortunately I won't be able to make your class today. I'm terribly sorry. Now, if you'll excuse me." And he made his way back out. Naruto caught Iruka stunned look and gave him a "what can you do" smile. The older boy took his arm and led him to the cafeteria.

"I can only stay for a little while. I have to be to work by noon," he said sadly.

"You have a job already? When did you get here?"

"This is my fourth day."

"That was fast. Where do you work?"

"I'm training a horse for some people near where I live."

"That's awesome! Can I give you a ride when you go?"

"Sure. So, how have you been?"

"Well, I only went to two foster homes after we were taken away. I was fourteen when I was put with a nice old lady. She turned out to be loosing her marbles though, and after the fifth time she forgot to get me from school they took me away from her. Six months later I came here, and like I said I've been here ever since. What about you?" Naruto had figured he would ask and he knew he wouldn't be able to talk about it, so he had filched his file from Iruka's room and brought it with him today. He handed the folder to the older boy who looked at it with interest.

"Everything's in there." He sat there while Suigetsu read and winced every time he gasped or cursed.

The boy finally looked up at him with haunted eyes. "I'm so sorry Naruto. I wish I'd fought harder to stay with you guys. I hope Kin didn't go to places like this too. She'd only be twelve now. I really hope she went to a good place, maybe even got adopted. Life really hasn't treated you well, has it?"

"It could have been worse. I am still alive you know."

"I guess you're right. But it could have been better also. I'd trade with you if I could. I know you only called the cops because of me."

"If we'd stayed there, who knows what would have happened? It's good we got out when we did. I'm very glad that you had it easy after we left. I never would have wished otherwise." They were silent a moment. "I never stopped thinking of you guys, you know? I wonder if we could find Kin? My other foster dad is chief of police. I'm sure he could help."

"Wait, Iruka's gay?" Suigetsu asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, why?"

"Are you really comfortable being around a gay couple after..." he trailed off and glanced at the folder again.

"As long as they're doing it to each other and not me, I'm cool with it."

"That makes sense I guess. In a way, it's probably for the best because they already have someone to occupy them, and Iruka seems like a die hard to me." They talked for another couple of hours and then Suigetsu drove him to Gaara's house.

The redhead jumped from his perch on the fence and walked over. "That's a nice ride," he commented, admiring the black mustang convertible. "Who's that Naruto?" he asked curiously while looking at the much older boy.

"Gaara, this is my brother, Suigetsu. Suigetsu, this is my friend and employer, Gaara." They both nodded politely to each other. He turned to Suigetsu. "You had better get back to college. If you ever feel like stopping by, just drive straight down this rode until you reach the end and turn right. Then you'll want to make the first left. It's a little ways down, and you'll need to go right on Ponderosa Rd, but it's the first house on the right there."

"I'll try to make it by this weekend. Do you have a phone?"

"Not yet." The older boy grabbed his arm and wrote down a number.

"That's my cell number. If you can get to a phone somehow and feel like talking, just give me a call. Otherwise, when you get your own phone, text me. I'll definitely see you within the next week or so, but look for me on Saturday, okay?"

"Sure thing." They embraced each other then Naruto got out and waved as Suigetsu left.

"I guess I can sorta see the resemblance," Gaara said.

Naruto laughed. "We're not actually related. He's my foster brother. I haven't seen him in eight years actually."

Gaara's eyes were wide. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It's not all that bad being a foster kid," he lied.

Gaara changed the subject. "Speaking of siblings, mine showed up last night and are staying 'til the end of the summer. I figured I'd introduce you before we get to work." Naruto nodded and they walked into the house. There were two people he'd never seen before sitting in the living room with Gaara's dad. One was a girl with blond hair, the other a boy with brown hair the same shade as their dad's. "Temari, Kankuro, this is Naruto. He's the one we hired to train Kaze." The two turned to him.

"Hello Naruto, it's very nice to meet you. Dad was just singing your praises," Temari said with a smile.

"I'd like to watch you with Kaze if you don't mind," Kankuro said.

Naruto was blushing. "It's very nice to meet you too. And sure, I don't mind." They all laughed at his embarrassment and he found himself grinning ruefully. "Well, I'd better get to work." Gaara nodded and walked out with him, Kankuro following behind them. "You guys aren't very consistent when it comes to hair color," he pointed out.

The brothers laughed. "Actually my mom was blond, so I'm the odball of the family," Gaara said.

"Blonds generally have redheads somewhere in their history. I'm blond, but my mom was a redhead. See?"

"I guess you're right. Was your dad blond too?"

"Yeah. I guess there's a good chance I could have had red hair now that I think about it." They aproached Kaze and the horse blew a raspberry. "Hey boy. How are you doing today? Want to go for a ride? Shukaku said I could ride you today if you'll let me," Naruto said in a low voice.

"No wonder he likes you. You're hypnotizing him," Kankuro said in fascination.

"What do you mean?" Naruto demanded self-consciously.

"You give out this kind of aura when you see him, like he's the most magnificent thing you've ever seen and you look at him as though he's an equal and you understand each other. Then when you talk, your voice has this strange note in it that makes you try to focus on it. You're hypnotizing him."

"I didn't mean to," Naruto whispered.

"It's okay. He doesn't mind. Can't you tell?"

"I guess so." Naruto tried to forget that there were others there and he went into Kaze's stall. He patted him affectionately and used the side of the stall to get up on the tall animal's back. Kaze turned his head to look at him and he rubbed his nose encouragingly.

"I don't think riding him bareback is such a good idea," Gaara said urgently, but it was too late. Kaze was already walking out of the stall.

"Don't worry. He's just going to play with me." Naruto smiled happily at him. And then Kaze took off. He galloped as fast as he could, ran in circles, jumped around. He did everything possible to unseat his rider. Naruto didn't take it offensively, he knew the horse was just trying to establish the dominant in their relationship. He merely gripped the horse's sides with his legs, which were stronger than they looked, and gently gripped the animal's mane. This went on for roughly half an hour. When the horse stopped bucking he stood still and breathed heavily, sides heaving and sweat glistening all over him. Naruto patted his neck and smiled at him. He gave Kaze a moment to compose himself, then gently prodded him to move. And the horse went meekly back to his stall. When they got back, Naruto dismounted and went to get the thing he needed to properly take care of him after such a workout. When he turned around after that task was done he saw the entire family lined up near the stall and staring at him in awe.

"That was amazing," Temari breathed and everyone else nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Have you ever ridden before?" Shukaku asked curiously.

"Nope. Why, did I do it wrong?"

"No, you did it better than anyone I've ever seen!" Gaara exclaimed. "Will it be like that every time?" he asked suddenly.

"Nah. He just had to see which one of us was in charge. I've successfully proven to him that it's me. Next time he'll behave."

"How do you know so much about him if you've never even ridden before?" Kankuro asked.

"We have a lot in common. He knows I'm not going to try to control him. I'll only ask him and see if he listens, which he will for the most part. As long as I'm not a threat to his rebellious spirit he'll see me as a friend." They all shook their heads in amazement and congratulated him for gaining Kaze's friendship. He talked to them for a little while in their spacious living room then went home.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Dedicated to SharinRaven876 for being my first reviewer. **

**Chapter Five - And so it Starts.**

Iruka was already home when Naruto got there and the blond knew there would be lots of questions. He walked inside and washed his hands, immediately going to help Iruka with dinner. "So, want to tell me how you know Suigetsu and what you said to make him behave?" Iruka asked inquisitively.

"He's my brother. I met him in my first home. He's a foster kid too. We lived together for almost two years and then we were seperated. And all I said was that you're my new foster dad. Suigetsu wouldn't hassle someone who might keep me, especially when I'm so close to being out of the system and just need someone to deal with me for two more years. He knows how fragile these things are. No need to add stress to the people who could be my ticket to freedom, you know? He was just being a good brother. I've missed him." He was quiet. "Iruka? Can Suigetsu come over on Saturday?"

"Sure Naruto. I don't mind. I'm glad you've found each other again." Iruka was giving him a bright smile and he had to look away. Just then Kakashi came inside. Naruto approached him, lifted the back of his shirt and pulled the folder from his waistband.

"I took it. I'm sorry. I was meeting my brother today and I thought it would be easier to let him read it than to say it. I shouldn't have taken it without your permission though."

Kakashi took it from him and laid it on the counter. "It's okay. Thank you for being honest."

Naruto gulped nervously. "Kakashi? You can find out the name of the girl who was in my first home, right? I only know her first name and my brother and I are worried about her. We're going to try and find her, though we don't intend to see her or anything. She wouldn't remember us. We just want to make sure she's okay."

"I'll see what I can do. Maybe I can find out how she's been since you were split up. Sound good?" Kakashi replied kindly.

"Thank you Kakashi," Naruto said sincerely. Kakashi ruffled his hair and he froze for a moment, shoulders coming up around his ears, but then he relaxed and smiled at the man. He smiled back. Naruto washed his hands again and help set the table.

"So, how's the job going?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"Iruka told you, huh? It's going well. I impressed my boss today," he said, feeling his face flush again.

"That's good. I'm proud of you." Naruto froze again. Proud? Kakashi was proud of him?

"We both are," Iruka said nodding and Naruto felt a tear slide down his cheek.

"I, uh, need to use the restroom. Sorry Iruka. I'll be right back." His voice sounded hoarse even to his own ears as he rushed from the room. He closed the bathroom door and slid down it, burrying his face in his knees. They were proud of him? He didn't deserve that, he hadn't done anything. They were proud of him. The words kept ringing in his ears and he knew he was crying in a way he hadn't in years, but he couldn't seem to stop it. They were proud of him. He leaned his head against the door and tried to catch his breath before getting up to splash water on his face. He made his way back downstairs and sat with them so that they could pray. All through dinner he pretended not to see the soft looks they were giving him, but he couldn't help but smile. He sent a silent thank you up to the person that these nice men prayed to.

When he saw Suigetsu's car pull up outside he nearly jumped through the window in his excitement to get to him. He quickly made his way downstairs and met the older boy at the front door. "Guess what? Kakashi found Kin! She was adopted, shortly after we were seperated and she seems happy. He gave me some pictures, newspaper clippings mostly. She's making a name for herself in the gymnastics tournaments she goes to each year. In one of the newspapers she said that she hopes to make it to the big leagues some day. You should see how much she's grown. Follow me!" Suigetsu laughed at him but followed him to his room. He was very pleased when he looked at the photos and they talked about how proud they were of her for a little while.

"So how are things going here?" Suigetsu asked happily.

"Great actually. I'm learning how to cook, I got twenty bucks today for helping with the chores this week, and my job is amazing. Gaara is quickly becoming the closest thing to a friend I've ever had. And... Kakashi and Iruka said... they're proud of me."

"That's great. I'm so glad that you finally found a good place. Hopefully you can stay until you turn eighteen."

"I hope so. They do this thing they call praying, where they close their eyes and look like they're talking to themselves in their head. I've been trying to do it lately. I found a book downstairs called the Bible and I think that's who they're praying to. I keep asking this person that they talk to to please let me stay here. If he's real, maybe he will."

"Wow, you've never even learned about religion?" Suigetsu asked sadly.

"Was I supposed to?"

"Well, everyone has a religion. Even people who don't believe have their own. They're called athiests. You might want to figure out what yours is, because it's a nice thing to know about yourself."

"Oh. Well, how do I find out?"

"Um, you can research it I guess. Start with asking Kakashi and Iruka about theirs and then work your way up from there."

"Okay. I'll do that."

"So when do you start school?"

"Monday after next. That reminds me. Why are you in school when it's summer?"

"Some colleges let you go for the summer if you want to. I wanted to because I actually like school, so I did."

"Oh. Hey, do you know what kind of classes you take Junior year in high school?"

"Well, it depends on your previous grades and state test scores. What did you take last year?"

"Um, I took English, Geometry, Chemistry, Health and PE, World Civilization and Business Economics, and Spanish."

"Okay. What kind of grades did you get."

"I got A's. I won a competition in English and they were going to let me do AP, and my Geometry teacher recommended me for Honers Algebra this year. Do you think any of that will roll over?"

"It might. Did you do the pre-ACT?"

"Yeah. I got a twenty-seven on it, which is pretty good from what I hear."

"If you can get that on the real deal that's more than pretty good." Naruto smiled.

"It's possible you'll get advanced classes all around if you got straight A's. If you have recommendations from other teachers, those are more likely than not. You'll have to choose two electives. If you want to do Spanish 2 then I recommend it because one year isn't really the greatest if you ever hope to use it. You do have to have two years of foreign languages, so you might want to think on that. Usually the next step up from chemistry is physics. That's about all I can tell you. Sorry bro."

"Well, it's more than I knew already so thank anyways." They continued to talk and Suigetsu finally asked him if he had any obligations this evening. "None that I know of, though I'd like you to stay for dinner if you don't mind."

"Sounds good to me. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to go see a movie?"

"I'd love to. Let me ask Kakashi." They walked out of the room and Naruto led the way downstairs to where Kakashi was playing COD: Black Ops. "Kakashi? Can I go to the movies?" Kakashi glanced behind him briefly before turning back to the game.

"I take it you're Suigetsu?"

"Yes sir."

He nodded. "Okay. As long as you promise to drive safe he can go."

"I promise. No way would I put him in unecessary danger."

"Have fun."

Naruto grinned at Suigetsu. "Thanks Kakashi." They went outside just as Iruka was pulling into the driveway. He'd been grocery shopping.

"Hey Naruto, Suigetsu. Where are you guys going?" Iruka inquired as he stepped out of the car. Naruto immediately went to the trunk to grab some grocieries.

"To see a movie. Kakashi okayed it."

"That sounds fun. Are you staying for dinner Suigetsu?"

"If you'll have me."

"Good. See you guys when you get back then," he said with a smile as the two boys put the last of the bags on the counter.

"See you Iruka," they said in unison.

They watched The Avengers, then drove home and enjoyed the pork and corn on the cob that Kakashi had grilled, grilling being the one form of cooking he could do. Iruka had made some homemade mashed potatos and fried asparagus to go along with it. It was delicious. Suigetsu left with the promise of returning soon. Kakashi turned to Naruto after the othe boy had left.

"I've taken Monday off so that we can go get you set up for your new classes. You'll need to choose which ones you'll be taking and they may require you to be tested."

Naruto nodded. "Okay. I was wondering about that myself," he admitted. They all went downstairs to play scrabble, their first family game, and he couldn't help but be remeinded of a life that seemed like little more than a dream. It was a bittersweet memory, to say the least, but he had to admit he'd come far since then. He relaxed and allowed himself to have fun with this new family that could be his if everything went right.

Monday came quickly and he was on his way to his new school to pick out his classes. Kakashi was talking to him. "We've decided that we're going to let you get used to school and everything before we even attempt it, but Iruka and I both feel that some therapy might be healthy for you. What do you think?"

"I had a therapist once. She didn't help very much. Do you really think spilling my guts to a stranger who charges you unbelievably high prices would be at all benificial?" he asked, avoiding giving a real answer.

"Actually, I happen to know someone who's willing to do it at a discounted rate just for you. He's the man we employ as a trauma shrink at my department and he's really good. I've seen him help even the worst cases get back on their feet. You don't have to answer right now, but at least think about it. We both feel that it is a good idea. We won't make you do anything you don't want to do though."

"Thank you. I promise I will think about it." When they pulled up to the school he felt a tingle of excitement. He met his new principle, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and they talked about what he was interested in.

"Well, considering you've had teachers vouch for you in English and Math I am willing to allow those. We can place you in AP English, especially since here we do creative for Juniors and it seems that's where you excell. Having an award for your writings is a nice accomplishment you've got under your belt. Here we do algebra 2 for Juniors usually, so we'll just bump you up to the Honors algebra 2 class. It also shows here that your history teacher put in a side note that you would do well in advanced history classes. I see no reason why we can't bump you up to AP history. You seem to have excelled at chemistry as well. Next step in that department is physics. We offer regular physics, or physics with space aplication which is a little more of a challenge. That just leaves your electives. Now, we do require you to have one and a half credits of PE in order to graduate. You may choose to take that this year, or next year as an elective. So, what do you think?"

"I'll agree to the three advanced classes; I like a challenge. I'd prefer the physics with space aplication. And as for my two electives, can I do Spanish 2 and French 1?"

"I don't see why not. It's clear that you have no trouble with languages."

"Okay. Then I'm happy with that schedule. I'll do PE next year."

"Good. Then it's settled. I'll have your schedule made up and mailed to you, along with your locker code, and I look forward to seeing you again soon."

They all said their goodbyes and Kakashi and Naruto left for home. "You're classes sound pretty interesting. Are you excited?"

"A little. I'll be more excited if I make it through the whole year here. I did last year, but that was because I was still living in a government home and didn't get taken by a new family or switched to a new facility. That was actually the first year I've ever done all the way through in one school since first grade. I liked it. Hopefully, if I'm good enough, I'll get to do that his time too," he said in a voice Kakashi could barely hear, but he knew he'd heard it when he looked at him sympathetically. He looked out the window for a little while then, quietly, "Do you want me to see a therapist because I don't act normal?"

Kakashi looked at him sharply. "Of course not. Besides, normal is just a word. We really care about your well being. You and I both know that you've been through a lot in such a short lifetime. I just think it would be good for you talk about it, and I know it's harder to talk to people you know about personaly stuff than it is to talk to a stranger. I happen to see how much people who talk to our trauma specialist are when they quit seeing him and I just thought you might be able to let go of some of the things you're unconsciously holding onto. That's all. We in no way want you to change who you are, or think you're messed up or anything. Okay?"

"Okay. I'll do it. I'll see this guy. When do I start?" he asked, too choked up to say much else.

"Whenever you're ready, though like I said, I figured it might be best if we wait until you've been in school for a little while."

"Why wait? I can start this week if you'd like."

"Is that what you want?"

"I'm patient for the most part, but when it comes down to something like this I like to just get it over with."

"Okay. I'll set something up for friday. Sound good?"

"Sure. Um, Kakashi?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for worrying."

Kakashi looked at him with a tender smile. "You don't have to thank me. But you're welcome I guess. I'm just glad I can help you." The rest of the ride was pleasantly quiet.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter Six - Why Me?**

Friday came much too quickly and he found himself sitting in a pristine waiting room. The walls were a dark blue with a strange fan emblem painted on them. The carpet was black and the chairs black with red clouds on them. There were pictures of cats hanging here and there. The room was definitely weird. After a few more minutes a tall man came out of an office and gave him a serene smile. Shouldn't a shrink look just a little weary when all they ever did was sit and listen to people's problems?

"Hello. You must be Naruto. You're exactly as Kakashi described you. My name is Itachi Uchiha. You may call me by either."

"I'll call you Itachi if you'll call me Naruto," he said with a noncommital shrug.

"That sounds fine to me." He stood aside, clearly inviting the younger boy in.

"You look very young. How old are you?" Naruto asked a little impolitely.

"Twenty-two. And you?"

"Sixteen. Isn't that too young to be in your profession?"

"I graduated high school at age fifteen. It took me five years in accelerated programs to get my degree. I've been doing this for two years now, though I was working for the police before I even finished my third year of college. I... had a knack."

"So how does this work? I haven't been in counseling since I was six."

"Well. We talk. Like you're talking to a friend, but less personal."

"What do we talk about?"

"What do you want to talk about?"

"You ask questions, I'll answer. That's the only way this is going to work."

"Okay. What is your favorite color?"

"Um, orange? What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm simply asking questions. Favorite number?"

"Thirteen." Naruto was starting to get irritated.

"Favorite day of the week?"

"Friday."

"Would you say you enjoy Friday the thirteenth?"

"Yeah."

"What about lucky numbers?"

"Thirteen and twenty-seven."

"Do you have a number compulsion?"

"Yeah. I have to have even amounts of food in my mouth and I like multiples of five for other things. I also round up to one of the quarter markers when telling time. Anything else?"

"Am I done asking questions yet?"

"This is infuriating. Aren't you supposed to make me do some sort of inkblot test or something? Isn't there a rule that says you have to say 'and how does that make you feel' after everything I say?"

"And how does that make you feel?"

"Gah! You're impossible."

"Would you like to do an inkblot test? Or perhaps you'd like to try hypnosis?"

"What the hell is your problem? You're the shrink here, not me!"

"Then why don't you let me be a shrink and start talking?"

"Fine. I was born October tenth at twelve thrity-five a.m. and I was five weeks premature. My parents died in a car crash when I was six months old and that's how I got these scars on my face, though most people don't notice them because they're very faint after all this time. I've lived in exactly four foster homes in my life which I count as a good thing because it seems to be that three quarters of the foster homes out there are corrupt. I was homless and free for a year when I was out west. I've been to more schools than I can count. I live here now and have a job training a stubborn horse that pays one fifty a week. My new foster parents are about the nicest people I've ever met. I'm starting school in three days. The end."

"Alright. If you say so."

"What do want me to say?" he demanded angrily.

"Whatever you want to say," Itachi replied with that same serene smile.

"Well why don't you say something first!" he shouted.

"My parents died when I was thirteen. I had to fight tooth and nail to keep my younger brother with me through the years. Things were looking worse and worse as I was nearing my sixteenth birthday, so I got emancipated and took custody of my brother. I've single handedly been a parent since I was thirteen years old. Those three years were the worst years of my life. Seeing my parents bodies when I came home that evening, finding my brother unconscious on the floor, finding out my uncle Madara had done it; all of that was terrible. I still dream about it sometimes. But what came after was even worse. Like you, I was a foster child. I got a trash bag for my possessions and had to use my wits in order to keep my brother close. Knowing what was happening to him was bad, and I constantly provoked our foster father to keep the heat off of my little brother, but not knowing what was happening would have been worse. Not being there to protect him would have killed me. As it happened, being there for the abuse very nearly did the job anyway. Your turn," he said calmly.

"How can you talk about it like it's no big deal? Abused you how? Did they beat you? Rape you? Lock you in a closet or a basement? Tie you to a bed? Torture you methodically? Make you beg like a dog for your next meal? What?"

"Did all of that happen to you?" he asked quietly.

"So what if it did? What the fuck do you you know? Answer my question!"

"Mostly beat me. I was locked in a closet on one occasion. Tortured on two occasions. So, to answer your question I know quite a bit."

Naruto remained silent for a while. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted at you, or asked you such personal things. Forgive me."

"Of course. Now, is there anything you would like to talk about?"

"Where do I start?" he asked, resigned.

"How about your first home?"

"I guess that's as good a place as any. These two people showed up one day, a kind man and a nice woman. They're names were Jiraiya and Tsunade..."

"So, how'd it go?" Iruka asked as he drove Naruto home.

"It was... interesting. I don't remember it being quite like that. He got me to talk though. I guess that counts."

"That's good. That means you're making progress, right?"

"I suppose."

"Are you going to go back?"

"We set up another appointment. Same time next Friday."

"I'm glad. How did you like him?"

"He was... different. Not bad different though, so I don't mind. He... told me more about him than any stranger I've ever met. And asked the most mundane questions... I... think I like him."

"I think that's wonderful. Hopefully you'll be able to open up to him." Naruto only nodded in response.

Why did Naruto feel like crap? Because it was six in the morning. Why was he up at six in the morning? Because it was Monday and he needed to get to school. Why was six o'clock so horrible when he regularly woke up around that time? Because he hadn't slept a wink in the last two days. He'd slept fitfully Friday night after his session with Itachi. Saturday night had been worse as he was both stressed from the session and excited about school. Sunday night was pure first day of school nerves. No sleep equals dazed and confused Naruto. Which is why Iruka was laughing at him at the moment. Because he had his shirt on backwards. And he'd put on a pair of silky boxers mistaking them for shorts. And apparently he had dried toothpaste on his cheek. Kakashi had fallen out of his chair laughing and then gone upstairs to get him some proper clothing while Iruka cleaned him up. He helped him turn his shirt around and Kakashi watched him carefully as he put his pants on to make sure he did it the right way. He then ruffled his hair a little so he didn't look like he had bedhead and wished him good luck before going upstairs to put his silk boxers away. Iruka ushered him to the car. When they pulled up to the school, Naruto was so out of it that he actually gave Iruka a half hug and then saw the stunned look on the other man's face.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"I don't mind." He smiled at him. "Have a great day. Try to stay awake for it," he said with a laugh.

"Thanks." He barely noticed when Iruka drove off. Since they followed a block schedule at this school today was what they called a 'red' day. Tomorrow would be a 'green' day. 'Red' days were first, third, and fifth period. According to his schedule, which he kept looking at to remind himself of what class was first, he had Physics with space aplication first, then honors algebra 2 next, and lastly he had AP history. Of course that meant that each class was an hour and thirty minutes long with only fifteen minutes in between. Of course, on 'red' days his hour and fifteen minute long lunch break came directly after his third class and then he had nothing for his last class period. Which meant he got to go home at noon since school started at seven. He still had thirty minutes before shool and was making his way to the library to pick up his text books when, due to his zombie-like state, he ran into something solid and went flying backwards. Suddenly he couldn't breathe as a sharp pain went through his back. He vaguely heard the pale, black haired boy standing above him say, "Watch where you're going newbie." And then everything went black.

When he came to he saw a girl with outrageously pink hair writing something on a chart. He tried to sit up and hissed as the stabbing pain returned. The lady swiveled around. She couldn't be more than twenty-five, but even then she looked way younger. What was it with everyone around here being too young for their professions?

"So you're awake huh? Good. I was starting to wonder. Class started about five minutes ago."

"Oh crap. I hate being late." He knew his tone was petulant, but he really couldn't find it in him to care at the moment. He seriously hated being late. The nurse laughed at him. "What happened?" he asked with a frown.

"I'm just guessing, but I'd say you've had a few broken ribs sometime in the past year right?"

"Yeah. What about them?"

"Well, it seems they're still in the healing process and you landed on them pretty hard. You're a little on the underweight side so there's no cushion. You just jostled them and it knocked the wind out of you. I don't blame you. I think I would have screamed and then fainted instead of just passing out if it had been me. You really should try to be more careful."

"Yeah. Thanks. Do you have anything for the pain?"

"Just tylenol I'm afraid. Sorry. I suggest seeing a doctor if the pain lasts longer than a few hours. Here, let me get you some tylenol and a tardy pass." She left the room and came back with a small paper cup and a cup of water. She had a piece of paper in the hand with the pills. He took them gladly and thanked her for her help. "So, Naruto huh? Are you new here?"

"Yeah. What's your name?"

"I'm Sakura, or Nurse Haruno. Your pick. Well, you'd better get going to class. Hopefully I won't see you soon." He grinned and thanked her before carefully getting off the table and walking slowly to his first class. He was fifteen minutes late now. Great. When he opened the door the teacher stopped in the middle of his very boisterous speech. Everyone turned to look at him. He felt sick from all the attention. He walked silently to the teacher and handed him his note.

"Ah. You're Naruto Uzumaki, the new student. Everyone here knows me from PE already so I was just reinforming them of my policies, but I have a copy of them here for you." He handed him a paper. "I would tell you to introduce yourself, but I pass out questionnaires at the beginning and end of the school year so that I can see how much everyone changes throughout the year. Find yourself a seat and just read over that paper." The man grinned at him in an almost painful way and Naruto looked around for an empty desk. The only one left was in the back next to... He almost growled when he saw the same boy who'd knocked him over glaring at him. He made his way to the back of the room, trying to set the boy on fire with his eyes, and eased into his chair so that he wouldn't disturb his ribs.

"I admit I was pretty pissed when you passed out on me and I had to carry you to the nurse's office, but I must thank you for being so incredibly skinny that it was actually quite easy. I made it to class with minutes to spare," the boy taunted. Naruto gritted his teeth and ignored him. That was twice today someone had mentioned his weight and now that he was around other kids he did see the difference. They looked... healthy. That was the best way to describe it. Maybe he should start working out. He shook his head angrily. After he'd read through the rules and guidelines he heard his name being called and realized the teacher had started attendance. He murmured here and waited patiently for him to finish. It wasn't long before he did, only five letters came after 'u' and they were uncommon for surnames. After that the questionnaires were passed out. It looked like Itachi had written them. Favorite color, favortie number, favorite day. Oh, here were some new ones. Zodiac sign, birthstone, favorite gemstone. He filled it out honestly though he thought it was a silly waste of time. It seemed the brunette on his left agreed with him because he was muttering about Gai's eccentricity. He caught Naruto watching him and smirked.

"Sorry. It's just, I've had him for three years now. PE and biology in Freshman, Chemistry in Sophomore, and now this. I've filled out more than my share of these things. I'm Kiba by the way."

"That sounds irritating. And hi Kiba. I'd introduce myself, but I'm pretty sure Gai already accomplished that for me."

"Yeah," he said with a booming laugh.

"Are those real tatoos?" Naruto asked curiously The boy had an upside down red triangle on each cheek.

"Yeah. I got them when I graduated from middle school. I was almost fourteen and my mom and sis did the same thing at that age. It's kind of like a family tradition. Mom did hers herself as a graduation present to herself. She was already training to be a tatoo artist at that point. She did my sister's and mine too."

"I've always wanted a tatoo. I wonder if it's something Iruka and Kakashi would let me do."

"I'm sure my mom could do it for you."

"That would be nice."

"So what would you get if you could?"

"Well, there was this comic I used to read when I was younger. It got my through even the worst days. He had this tatoo, on his stomach. Well, it was a seal actually, no needles involved just a ninja spell, but I've always wanted to get it. He was my hero growing up."

"That sounds cool." Time passed quickly with Kiba passing notes to him and Naruto was able to ignore the stupid vampire on his right. When class was over he sighed with relief. He liked science and already knew a little about physics, including the trigonometry he'd need to know, but that Gai was something else. As he was leaving the stupid boy bumped into him again and he jolted from the pain. The boy leered at him. The only though going through his head was: why me?


	7. Chapter 7

**Dicslaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Thanks everyone for the reviews!**

**Chapter Seven - Gaara!**

Naruto made his way slowly to his next class, thankful that he hadn't needed a physics book yet since he hadn't ever made it to the library. Hopefully he could get through the day without his books so that he didn't miss out on anything. Next class: Algebra. His teacher seemed too young to be a teacher, again, and had the same golden blond hair that Naruto did. His name was Deidara; it was written on the black board. What made Naruto happy about this class was the familiar redhead that walked through the door a moment after he had taken his seat. Naruto waved to get his attention and gestured to the desk next to him. "Gaara! Thank God you're here. I've been having the worst day. Seeing someone I know was definitely much needed."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Gaara replied, his smile turning into a frown. "What exactly has been happening?"

"Well, I haven't slept at all since Friday night, and even that sleep sucked, so I was having trouble really focusing on anything. I get here and head to the library to get my books and wham! Next thing I know I'm sprawled on the floor and I can't breathe. Then I wake up in the nurse's office and she says I just jostled a few of my broken ribs and I'm good to go, but I'm already late. I HATE being late. Then when I get to class everyone is staring at me and my teacher is way over the top. When I go to sit down, the only empty sit is next to, guess who, the guy who slammed into me in the hall and he's a total prick. Now I'm stuck at the same lab table as the stupid teme and there's nothing I can do about it!"

"Wow. That does suck. Um, why do you have broken ribs?"

Naruto felt his face flush and he muttered, "Nevermind."

Gaara looked suspicious. "Are your new foster parents treating you right?"

"No it wasn't them! It was my last ones. My new ones have never been anything but nice to me. Please don't say things like that or someone might report it and I'll be taken away."

"Sorry." Naruto just gave him a half smile. "So, who was this jerk who knocked you over?"

"On the sheet of questions that Gai gave us he wrote Sasuke Uchiha."

"Oh. I know him. He _is_ a shit head. And wow. You have Gai. That sucks. I'm not taking science this year. I did AP biology for one of my electives last year, so I thought I'd take a break."

"I wish I could take a break. That guy is just so effervescent."

"Um, he's what?" Gaara asked, perplexed.

"Um, enthusiastic or bubbly. Sorry. It's one of my favorite words so I use it a lot."

"Okay. I've never heard of it before."

Naruto laughed ruefully and then Deidara called the class to order. "Hello everyone. As we all know, nothing really happens on the first day, so today we will be introducing ourselves and talking about our syllabus." Everyone groaned. "First we'll do roll call." It took him almost five minutes to do that since he didn't know everybody in here. "Alright miss. Please stand up and tell us about yourself."

A pretty blonde stood up and smiled confidently at the room at large. "My name is Ino Yamanaka. My family owns the only flower store in this town. My dad is a detective at the local police station. My mother is an entrepreneur. I'm going to be a doctor when I get done with my schooling. My favorite food is grapes and my favorite color is purple." She sat down.

"Thank you Ms. Yamanaka." And so it went. When it was Gaara's turn Naruto got nervous. That meant he was next.

"My name is Gaara Kage. My family owns a very successful horse training business. My dad is the head of the operation. My sister is going to college to be an FBI agent, and my brother is currently at an acting school on the west coast. I plan to be a journalist. My favorite food is anything with apples in it and my favorite color is black." He sat down. Naruto gulped.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. My dad Kakashi is the chief of police at the local precinct. My other dad, Iruka, is a professor at the university here. I'm going to be a social worker. My favorite food is pretty much any kind of mexican food and my favorite color is orange." He said it all as quickly as possible and plopped back down into his seat then paled from the radiating pain that caused. Gaara gave him an encouraging look. Class was very boring when everyone was done because all they did was listen to the teacher talk about the calculator they would need, as well as all the cheaper items like grid paper. Even though he was nearly falling asleep again he didn't want to go because he knew he didn't have history with Gaara. The bell rang and the two of them walked as slowly as possible until they were the last ones out of the class and then bid each other goodbye. He found his history class and saw that all of the desks were arranged in a circle. He thought it was rather odd, but didn't object when he saw that there were little index cards with their names on them. He found his seat and sat down. When the teacher came in he was practically followed by a cloud of smoke and Naruto tried not to cough. The man waved at him and took his seat at his chair in the middle. The other students filed in and Naruto groaned when he saw that usuratonkachi. He mentally sighed at himself as his old habit got the better of him. He'd picked up some nicknames from that comic he'd read when he was a child and they happened to be in Japanese, so he liked to call people names in Japanese. He'd thought he had outgrown the habbit. History was boring for the first day. The teacher called roll, talked to them briefly, and then let them have free time. It seemed like everyone had someone to talk to except for him. Then the boy on his right, Shikamaru Nara according to his index card, gave him a lazy look and said, "They act like they never get a chance to talk outside of this class. It's annoying."

He grinned. The boy on his right leaned around him so that he could be part of the conversation. "I know, right? Hey Shikamaru. This is that new kid I was telling you about that was in my physics class." He turned to Naruto. "I'm Choji Akimichi."

"Hey. I didn't realize you were in that class. I was a bit flustered, with being late and meeting Gai and all."

"That's understandable. I hate being late."

"Me too."

"Doesn't bother me," Shikamaru interjected.

"That's cuz you're lazy Shika," Choji pointed out. Naruto tried desperately not to laugh.

"Only when it comes to school. Otherwise I'm at home cleaning for my mom or out sparring with my dad at my karate class. I should get to be lazy sometimes and this is the only opportunity I get. It's not like my grades suffer."

"Stupid genious," Choji muttered.

"So when did you move here Naruto?" Shikamaru inquired politely, trying to re-include him in the conversation.

"About two weeks ago."

"Do you have a job yet? You are sixteen right?"

"Yes and yes. I train this horse for a friend of mine. They seem to think he's stubborn though I don't see it. I think he's just playful."

"That's cool. Who are your parents? I haven't heard of anyone new moving in?" Choji asked.

"Kakashi Hatake and Iruka Umino." They're eyes widened.

"One of your dad's is the chief of police? Did you live with your mom before or something?"

"Yeah he is, and no. I'm, uh, in the system."

"Oh. Sorry for bringing it up. My dad is a karate instructor. He's a martial arts nutt. Choji's dad is a massage therapist. Our moms are both stay at home types. What about that Iruka guy. What does he do?"

"He's a professor."

"That's cool. Who is it that you work for? I might know them," Choji said.

"Shukaku Kage." Shikamaru blushed slightly and Choji chuckled. "Do you guys know him?"

"Shikamaru here dated Temari for a while. That's Shukaku's daughter in case you didn't know. They tried to do a long distance relationship, but it didn't work out because they didn't even get to talk much so she told him to hurry up and graduate already so that he could get his butt out there. His birthday falls after the cut off so he started a year later than she did even though he's older than her by eleven months. She also skipped a grade when he did, so he couldn't catch up to her. They're both turning seventeen now, but Shikamaru is a senior and he's planning on leaving to go live with her when he graduates. She lives with her brother out on the west coast."

"Wow. I had no idea. Well, good luck man." Shikamaru sighed.

"Thanks. I'm going to need it. I swear she's like a whirlwind. At least I'm graduating after winter break."

"That's good at least. How long has it been since you broke up?"

"About two months... until she came back the other day..."

"YOU NEVER SAID ANYTHING TO ME!" Choji pretty much shouted, but everyone was making so much noise that they didn't notice.

"Well maybe if you didn't tease me so much."

"Okay. I won't. Now spill."

"She said that she was miserable without me and wanted me back even if we didn't get to talk much. She said that's why she decided on a surprise visit home. She just couldn't go a day longer without seeing me and seeing if we could go back. She said that in her mind, we were never even broken up, she just didn't want me to follow her because I felt obligated and wanted to give me an out if I decided that moving out there wasn't what I wanted. And then we, well, you know."

Naruto cleared his throat a little uncomfortably. "Well, I'm glad everything worked out."

"Me too. I was starting to go stark raving mad without her." He looked a little pale at the memory. "I thought I might kill someone soon."

"Glad you got back together before school started then," Choji remarked. The rest of the class passed in much the same way. When the bell rang he went to the library to finally get all of his materials. He ran into Gaara who happened to have A lunch, which meant it came after the second class period, and then had the third class slot empty. They made their way to a vending machine where Naruto got lunch, donuts and a soda, and then worked their way over to the place Naruto had been trying to get to all day. He finally got all of his books and he sat down in front of his locker to seperate them.

"Why do you have two backpacks?" Gaara questioned with a quirked brow.

The orange one is for 'red' days and the black one is for 'green' days. I like to keep my days straight." Gaara shrugged indifferently. Naruto left both backpacks in his locker since he had no homework yet.

"Do you have to walk home?"

"Yeah. My dad thinks it builds character or something like that."

"Huh. Well, Iruka doesn't get into town until four thirty and Kakashi is usually gone until six or so, so I can walk with you."

"You really want to stay at school longer than you have to?"

"I don't mind. I might go back to the library and check out a book, or even visit the prinicpal again."

"Okay. It doesn't sound appealing to me, but I wouldn't mind someone to walk with so I won't try to change your mind."

"Hey Gaara? Did you know Temari has a boyfriend?"

"You mean Shikamaru? Yeah. They've liked each other since she beat him up when she was in sixth grade and he finally asked her out when they were in middle school together. See, he skipped sixth and she skipped seventh, so it was only a year before they were together."

"Wow. And they've made it this far? That was what, five years ago?"

"About that, yeah."

"That's amazing. It gives a guy hope, you know?"

"Have you had a bad relationship or something? I mean, most relationships don't last that long unless you find the right one, so I don't see why it would change how you feel about anything."

"No. I've never had a girlfriend or anything. I just thought it was nice, that's all. Most of the couples I've met who've been together a while are pretty messed up." He bit his lip. Moment of truth. Did he tell him all of it? "But, I did have a boyfriend once. He was quite a bit older than me and it only lasted a couple of days if I remember correctly."

"Wow. I didn't know you were gay."

"I'm not... I don't think..."

"Then curious, perhaps?"

"More like convenient." Gaara just waited patiently. "I was kind of like his rebound... after he got out of jail... and it was hard to say no to someone who was so nice to me..."

"Wow. I'm sorry. That sucks. How long was he in jail?"

"Six years."

"When you say older, how much older do you mean?"

"Um. He was twenty-five and I was thirteen..."

"Holy shit Naruto! That was jailbait! How far did you take things?" he gasped. Naruto was silent. "You didn't. Please tell me you didn't sleep with him? God, that was statutory rape!"

"I didn't sleep with him. Honest. It just... went farther than it was supposed to..."

"How far? Naruto, you're killing me here."

"Um, well, he wanted a blow job..."

"Did you give him one?"

"Not exactly..."

"You mean he... forced you?" Naruto refused to meet his eyes. He just shrugged a little jerkily. Suddenly he was in Gaara's arms. The redhead was actually hugging him. "I'm sorry. That sucks. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I've just never had a regular relationship so I only have that one to compare things with."

"I get it. You don't have to explain. I just hope you find someone who's good for you this time."

"Me too." Naruto pulled away and foced a smile. "You're going to be late for class." Naruto really laughed at the comical way his friend's eyes widened as he said a quick goodbye and rushed off to the other side of the school just as the bell rang and the hall became crowded. Naruto made his way to the library again.

**To be honest, this story is set in the U.S. because that's the only place I've ever lived. Mentions of out west are Arizona and thereabouts, the west coast is Cali, the whole thing with Zabuza is on the east side of the map, Tennesse, as well as the part with Nagato which takes place in Kentucky. They're currently in Colorado. I figured I'd leave out names, but it's been bugging me that I'm writing in America and have exclusively Japanese names. My reasoning? Everyone already knows those names. So, because I don't want to offend anyone of that orientation or culture I am not even attempting to place it in Japan and would like you disregard the names of the characters. Just pretend it's perfectly natural for EVERYONE to have a japanese name since it is fanfiction after all. :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter Eight - Lunch With Friends.**

Why was Naruto in the hospital? Because he'd passed out at dinner that night. Why was Suigetsu the one sitting with him? Because he couldn't face Iruka or Kakashi with the reminder that they knew about his previous abuse. He'd begged them to go home and somehow Suigetsu had finally gotten them to listen. Now he was crying in Suigetsu's arms. "Why can't I just be a normal child? They don't need this."

Suigetsu pulled back and looked at him crossly. "Naruto, they care about you, normal or not," he said firmly. "Now pull yourself together. What happened today wasn't your fault. Do you understand?" He looked so stern that Naruto nodded without even really thinking about it. There was a knock on the door and a worried redhead popped in.

"I heard what happened. You should have told me you weren't feeling good. I never would have agreed to let you ride Kaze." He looked terribly strained. He was more worried than he needed to be.

Suigets slapped himself in the forehead. "And it all becomes clear. The damage wasn't that bad originally you just made it that way by being an idiot, as usual."

"Gaara I'm fine. I just got a little dizzy and fell out of my chair. Suigetsu, shut up or I'll kick you out. I happen to really like riding Kaze and it wasn't very painful when I did so I didn't think about it. If you ask me the walk back was just as much a factor as the ride was."

"Well it certainly couldn't have helped. You need to get a cell phone, this week, so that you can call me when you need a ride. Got it?"

"Don't bitch at me, please. You're giving me a headache." Suigetsu glared at him. "Fine. I promise. Happy?"

"Not particularly, but happier I guess."

Just then the doctor came in. The man, Doctor Yahiko, had bright orange hair and a nice smile. "Well Naruto, it looks like no new damage was done and they should be able to heal fine on their own, just take it easy for a little while. Anyways, you're free to go. Do you have someone to drive you?"

"He does," came Kakashi's voice and Naruto whipped his head around to the door. Both Iruka and Kakashi were there.

"I thought you guys went home," he accused.

"We wouldn't just leave you when you're hurt and in the hospital Naruto. We just sat outside for a little while so that you could have your space," Iruka admonished. He felt ashamed and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry guys. I didn't realize."

"It's okay. Suigetsu, Gaara, would either one of you like to stay the night? I don't want Naruto sleeping alone. He tends to fall off the bed a lot," Iruka suggested. Everyone laughed as Naruto flushed sheepishly.

"I'll stay," Gaara spoke up.

"Good. Then I can stay tomorrow night. I don't have to work on Wednesday, so I won't need to leave before he's at school." Suigetsu offered.

"Good. Now, let's get you home Naruto, so you can rest." Naruto was helped up by Iruka and when he was he hugged him. The man was surprised for a moment, just as he was earlier, but he hugged him back. Kakashi stood just behind the two a little awkwardly, wishing he could move away and let them have their moment when a hand shot out and pulled him into the hug. It was Naruto's. Everyone saw the slight smile on his face as he hesitantly returned the embrace.

"Thank you. Both of you. For staying, and for caring. You have no idea..." Naruto whispered.

"That's what parents are for," Kakashi said simply.

"He's right," Gaara interjected.

"You finally found them Naruto," Suigetsu congratulated softly. The doctor left the papers on the bed and left them to their family. "Someday here soon I'll introduce you to mine. Yamato is great, he's my real dad, you know? And Sai, my brother, is a lot like you."

"That would be nice," Naruto commented. Naruto knew of Suigetsu's birth family had been bad. His step-father Kimimaro had molested him and his mother, Hanare was a drug addict who slept around. His two younger sisters, Tayuya and Rin, were abused as well. He was glad he'd found someone who loved him. He looked back at his new parents and realized that he might have gone and down the same thing... and he let them take him home.

"You really do roll around a lot," Gaara said around a yawn. "I don't think I slept a wink last night between you elbowing me, kneeing me, and slamming into me when he thrashed around." The were getting ready for school and they both looked quite sleepy. When they went downstairs Iruka had breakfast ready for them: waffles!

"You look tired Gaara. I told you he rolls off the bed a lot. I've heard him at least fifteen times and seen it actually happen twice when I went to check on him. Somehow he always gets back into bed and doesn't remember anything in the morning."

"Yeah. You weren't kidding. I'm glad tonight is Suigetsu's turn." Naruto scowled at both of them for making fun of him. They ate quickly and then Kakashi dropped them off on his way to work. Naruto went straight to his locker to get is black backpack. He checked his schedule and saw that he had French first. Yay! He and Gaara had French together. He made his way there and saw that their teacher was also a redhead, and again he was way too young to be a teacher.

"Hello class. My name is Sasori. I will be teaching you one of the many love languages we are able to enjoy in this day and age. I'm going to call roll and then I would like everyone to introduce yourselves."

Oh no, not this again. Naruto groaned. Gaara looked at him sympathetically. Roll was done and the class was steadily making it's way through introductions. Suddenly a very pretty girl with waist length blue-black hair and eyes so blue they seemed purple stood up to introduce herself. "Hello. My name is Hinata Hyuga. Many of you probably know my cousing Neji; he's a year above me. I'm a sophomore. My parents are very skilled martial artists and I've found that with the flixibility I've gained over the years I am really good at dance, so I want to grow up to be a dancer. It's my passion. Um, that's all I think." She sat down. Everyone had been listening closely because she had such a soft, shy voice. Naruto was transfixed. Gaara waved his hand in front of his face.

"Dude. Are you okay?"

"She's beautiful Gaara. I bet she's the sweetest girl on the face of the planet. Do you think I should ask her out?"

"She's already got a boyfriend according to Neji, her cousin. Won't tell us who though."

Naruto felt himself deflate. That sucked. They all finished introducing themselves, it wasn't as bad this time around because he was all bummed out about Hinata having a boyfriend. Then the teacher announced, "The first day of class always depresses me because it's just supposed to be a welcome day and we don't get to teach anything. That being said, you may leave early today. I'll see you on Thursday." Everyone cheered and left the room. He brooded about Hinata until he walked into his next class, Spanish 2, an hour later and saw a stupid jerk sitting on the far left of the room. He scowled and remembered his hospital visit last night. Baka. It's not like he couldn't have moved, he'd just wanted to run into him. He was still fuming when someone came and sat next to him. He had short black hair and an obvious obsession with green. His eyebrows were abnormally bushy, but his smile was inviting.

"Hello. I've heard about you from a few of my friends and I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Lee. The grumpy boy behind me is Neji."

Naruto looked sharply at the guy with long brown hair and the same eyes as Hinata. "I'm Naruto. Nice to meet you guys."

"Likewise," Neji replied cordially.

"Um, can I ask you a question Neji?"

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"Well, you see, I met your cousin in my French class last period and I was just wondering... Who is she seeing?"

Neji's jaw dropped. "You have a crush on my cousin. Gross."

Lee was laughing hysterically. "That used to just be a rumor to keep boys away from her, but then Kiba came along and decided to take a shot at it anyway, found out the rumor was a complete lie and they've been dating since just before Summer break. Sorry kid."

"Ah, it's alright. She just seems really nice."

"Plus she's gorgeous," Lee said, nodding in agreement. Naruto blushed a little. "Hey Naruto? Why are you taking this class if you're already taking French?"

"Well, I like languages and I already speak spanish fluently, so I figured it would be easy. Plus I took Spanish 1 last year and felt it would be appropriate to show that I can stick with something for more than one year."

"That sounds logical. Man, you and Neji both suck. I don't get Spanish at all. I barely passed last year!" Neji grinned at him.

"Well, it's just that I grew up with a girl who spoke Spanish. I'm sure if I'd gone in blind it wouldn't be easy for me." Their teacher walked in just then and Neji sat in the chair on the other side of Lee. She was nice to look as far as teachers went and her name was Kurenai. There were no introductions necessary as they spent the whole period taking a "friendly survey" to see how much they knew. "'Friendly survey' my butt. This is a test," Naruto grumbled and Lee and Neji chuckled quietly. They walked out of class together.

"So, where next for you Naruto?" Lee inquired.

"Well, I have lunch now, and then Third period off, so I guess I'll just find something to do to pass the time."

"Great! That's what we're doing too. Want to sit in the cafeteria with us? The food here really isn't that bad."

Naruto laughed. "Sure." They made their way to the cafeteria and got their food, went to table... that had a bunch of faces he already knew at it. Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Ino were already here. There were two more people here as well. Gaara had class so he wouldn't be seeing him for an hour and a half, but Sasuke wasn't here either, so he was okay with that.

"Naruto, that's Shino, Ino and Ten-Ten. I've heard that you've already met the others. Guys, this is Naruto for those of you who don't know."

"He's in my math class," Ino said and smiled at him. "I can't believe your dad is Kakashi Hatake! My dad pretty much worships him," she gushed. Everyone laughed. Naruto was starting to get used to the easy laughter.

"Hey Naruto, it's nice to meet you," Ten-Ten said, all smiles.

Shino just nodded at him. Kiba shook his head at Shino then turned to Naruto. "So how has you're 'green' day been?"

"Well, I developed a slight crush on your girlfriend. Hope you don't mind." He smiled good-naturedly.

Kiba guffawed. "Well, she is pretty hot, and I get that a lot, so you're forgiven."

Shikamaru looked at him. "If you met Hinata today as well as these two, that means you're taking both French and Spanish. Why?" He looked perplexed.

"He's fluent in Spanish already and took it last year, so he wanted to do both this year," Lee reiterated for him.

"Wow. That's cool. I wish I was fluent in something. People still say things I don't understand in English!" Choji exclaimed. Everyone laughed.

"Watch out for Naruto then," Ino warned playfully. "His favorite word is 'effervescent'."

"You heard that?" he asked, impressed.

"Yeah," she giggled.

"What the hell does effervescent mean?" Neji asked incredulously.

"He said it means enthusiastic or bubbly, right Naruto?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. You must have been talking about Gai," Kiba said knowingly.

"Yeah actually." Everyone roared with laughter and clutched their stomachs. Lee patted him on the back in a friendly way, but Naruto couldn't stop himself from hissing in pain. Everyone stopped laughing and looked at him.

"You okay?" Shikamaru asked.

"He has broken ribs," Neji said calmly.

"How the hell do you know that? You always know everything. I swear you have x-ray vision. It's unnerving."

"Don't be ridiculous. I just know body language and anatomy well enough to put two and two together," Neji scoffed.

"Is that why you were late for class?" Kiba asked, looking like he was excited for a juicy story.

"Well, I've had them for a little while now, but they are the reason I was late yesterday, yes. I got knocked down and I passed out from the pain the impact caused." He scratched his head embarrassedly.

"Oh. That sucks. Who knocked you down?" Lee asked sympathetically.

"Sasuke Uchiha."

"Asshole," Kiba growled.

"Where did you get broken ribs?" Ten-Ten asked gently.

"I uh, got in a fight a while back..." He tried not to look at Neji so that he wouldn't know he was lying, but he saw Neji sigh and shake his head out of the corner of his eye. Great. Now everyone knew he was lying. They all looked at him with hurt expressions, except Shikamaru and Choji who looked sad for him and Neji who was silently calling him a liar. He sighed. "I'm an orphan. Foster kid. If that doesn't explain it don't look at me, 'cuz that's all I'm willing to say." He felt grouchy again. Why did everyone have to get into other people's business?

"I'm sorry Naruto," Ino whispered sadly.

"I'm adopted, so I kind of get it. But I was only at an orphanage, I didn't got to a bunch of homes. And my adoptive parents are nice," Shino said, the first thing Naruto had heard him say.

"Yeah. Government buildings suck just as bad. I hated being around a bunch of other orphans knowing I was just as unlikely to get adopted as they were." Shin just nodded in response. Again. That guy really didn't say much. Gaara caught up to him in the cafeteria, somehow having a feeling he'd be there, and ate lunch with them. He knew pretty much everyone there personally, and the others as at least aquaintances.

"Do you need me to wait around for you?" Gaara asked.

"Nah. Suigetsu's picking me up. But if you want a ride you can stick around."

"You mean I actually get to ride in that sweet car? You bet I'll stick around. You're brother's car is my dream car."

"You have a brother?" Lee asked interestedly.

"He might as well be my brother. We lived in the same place for two years and got really close."

"That's nice." The bell rang for kids to start making their way to their classes and Naruto sighed. Everyone stood up except for Gaara and Sasuke Uchiha who had snuck in close behind Gaara and sat in the corner of the room with his lunch. There was no one he knew in his English class, but he did meet a kid named Sora with a wry sense of humor. They passed the time until it was time to go home. He met up with Gaara and they made their way outside to wait for Suigetsu. It turns out he had gotten there early just in case. They all went back to Naruto's place and played in the game room. Naruto told Suigetsu all about his first two days of school and dinner was ready by the time they were done. Gaara's sister came to collect him shortly afterwards and Suigetsu followed him up into his room. Where Naruto kept him awake all night too.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N: I was not going to dedicate this story, but I'm getting so many great reviews that I've decided to dedicate it to all of my reviewers. Also, a great big THANK YOU to everyone who's favorited or followed my story. It means a lot guys. **

**Chapter Nine - Could It Get Any Worse?**

Naruto felt bad for keeping both Suigetsu and Gaara up all night when they had taken turns staying with him. He didn't realize he was that bad. He sighed as he remembered how Suigetsu was slightly grumpy when he dropped him off at school that morning after picking Gaara up along the way. He traded his black backpack for his orange one and went directly to physics. He really wished that the other boy at Kiba's table would trade with Naruto so that they could be partners if they had any labs. When Gai came in and took attendance Naruto felt a little overwhelmed, much as he had the first time. This teacher was just crazy energetic. He turned to the class and said in a booming voice, "Alright everyone. This class is graded in the following ways: thirty-five percent of your grade will go to your final project. You will have all year to work on this as this course is college based. Also, five percent will go to the outline of your project which is due in the next two weeks. Another ten percent will go to your rough draft. Twenty-five percent will go towards your mid-term, and the remaining twenty-five percent towards your quizzes. We will have a total of ten quizzes, three of them will be pop quizzes. These quizzes will be difficult because they are strictly pass or fail quizzes. They will each be one question; even if you were to get half credit, a fifty percent is a failing grade. I will give you opportunities for extra credit as we go along, so don't worry too much. Besides, if you do absolutely perfect on everything else you'll still have a C even if you fail every single quiz. Does anyone have any questiions?"

Choji raised his hand. "Do we get to pick the topics for our projects and can we work with a friend?"

"Those are good questions Mister Akamichi. The topics will be drawn at random from a bucket I have prepared here. As far as working with someone, this project is a team project. Both you and your partner will be given the same grade at the end, so don't take this lightly. If you slack off, someone else could fail. If they slack off, you will either fail or get stuck doing all the work. This requires a real team effort. However, you will not be picking your own partners. If you want to know who your partner is then looking at the person sharing your table. I suggest you get used to seeing them since you'll be working together off and on for the entire year." A few people groaned. Naruto felt himself pale. He saw the surprised look on Sasuke's face when he dared to glance his way then he turned to Kiba who was staring at him wtih eyes wide.

"Man, that sucks Naruto. I'm so sorry." Naruto tried to think rationally. So the guy had knocked him down and then taunted him a bit later. He couldn't be all that bad. Right?

"Maybe he won't be an ass..." he ventured.

"Sasuke's always an ass." Kiba shook his head with a sympathetic look on his face.

"Hey dobe, go get our topic," the raven all but snarled at him. Naruto froze in surprise. Someone else he used Japanese insults?

"Do you read...?"

"So what if I do? If you know that I read it then that means you read it too, right? So you can't judge."

"Shut up teme." Naruto got up and walked to the front of the room so he could draw out his strip of paper. Kiba was right behind him. He reached in and pulled out... Newton's Third Law? He went back to his seat. "What did you guys get Kiba?"

"Reflection and Refraction. You?" Naruto was about to answer when Sasuke interrupted him by leaning over his shoulder.

"What did we get dobe?" he growled. Naruto growled right back as he showed him. "What the hell is that?"

"Newton's Third Law is a very narrow topic. Writing about this will be hard."

"But what does it mean?"

"It means that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."

"So like if I punched you, the reaction would be that you'd go flying?"

Naruto gritted his teeth. "It means that if _I_ were to punch _you_ in the _face_ then in a way your face would be punching me back. It's like pushing and pulling at the same time, get it?"

"Yeah," Sasuke answered with a sneer. Naruto went back to ignoring him.

"Damn, that is a tough one. Good luck with that Naruto."

"Yeah. You suck. You get the easy one. Reflection and Refraction is fun." Kiba looked skeptical.

"If you say so."

When Naruto went to Math he ranted about his luck to Gaara and Ino before class started. Today they were tested to measure their previous knowledge. The test took up the entire period. Kiba caught up to Naruto and Gaara as they were getting ready to head for their own destinations. "Hay guys. Do you want to come over after school today?"

"Sure. That sounds fun. What do you think Gaara?"

"I'm up for it. Want to meet at the flag pole?" They all agreed and then split. Naruto walked into his history class glad that they sat in a circle in this class. There was no way he could get paired up with Sasuke for some stupid reason, right?

"Alright class," Asuma said after he'd taken roll. "In exactly one month you will be doing mock debates about certain events in history. Today we will pick your pairings, and then I'll assign your event to you on Friday. Now, I figured I'd make pairing simple, and the opposing quality to it has already been displayed by the seating." Oh no. No way. It wasn't possible... "I want you to introduce yourselves to the person directly across from you as they're going to be your partner in this exercise. It is up to you and your partner to research your event thoroughly enough to re-enact them, so don't take this lightly." He heard Shikamaru and Choji mutter about not being able to partner with each other, but he didn't really care at the moment. If the desks were close together he might be able to make a case of it, but the desks were spread out evenly leaving absolutely no doubt. He looked into the stunned face of Sasuke Uchiha and thought to himself that this was really starting to suck and he should stop tempting fate. Sasuke's expression reflected his feelings. He was clearly unable to believe that they were partners for not one, but two projects now. Shikamaru gave a low whistle when he witnissed the staring contest.

"Oh shit. That sucks balls." Choji snorted at the comment his lazy friend had just made, but he gave Naruto the same sympathetic look Kiba had given him earlier.

"Want to know the worst part?" he asked monotonously. The boys exchanged a worried look.

"You're stuck with him the whole year in physics class too," Choji said solemnly. Shikamaru's eyes widened.

"Oh man. That really is horrible. I wonder if there's any way to switch."

"Why bother? It's obviously karma or something." He resigned himself as he left to go sit in the library until Kiba and Gaara got out of class. He wasn't hungry, so he skipped lunch. He didn't know if he'd ever be hungry again. He sighed and laid his head on a table in front of his chair. Why me? When school ended he told the other two boys about his predicament. They both expressed their opinions very loudly as they walked the short distance to Kiba's house. When they got close to the house a medium sized white dog came running up to them. He couldn't restrain a startled gasp. "Akamaru?" he whispered as the dog bounded up to him and jumped to lick his face. He got down on his knees and buried his face in the dog's soft fur. And then he was crying and he didn't know why.

"How do you know his name? Why is he acting like you know each other?" Kiba questioned.

"How did he get all the way out here?" Naruto asked instead.

"We moved here after I graduated from middle school. How do you know him?"

"I thought he was dead," Naruto whimpered and held the dog tighter as he licked his face. "One day he just didn't come back and I thought..."

"Did... did he belong to you before I found him? I thought he was a stray. I know he had a rough collar on, that's how we knew his name, but I looked all over and even posted found dog flyers..."

"He didn't belong to me. And I'm glad you took him in. I couldn't feed him and he was too busy trying to feed me to care about his own hungry stomach. It's just, I was so scared."

"You lived in Arizona?"

"Yeah. I was homeless for a year when I ran away from the system and Akamaru found me. He was the reason I ate at all on most days, because somehow he'd find good scraps of food and bring them to me. Then about six months after this started it just stopped. I can't believe he's alive!" Gaara placed his hand on his shoulder to help him pull out of it and then helped him to his feet.

"I had no idea. Did you make the collar?" Naruto nodded numbly as he patted Akamaru. "I'm glad you've found him again. And you can visit whenever you want..." Kiba did everything but tell him that he couldn't take him back.

"I won't take him from you Kiba. You gave him a home when I couldn't and for that I'm grateful. I wouldn't mind coming to see him again though." Kiba nodded. They hung out for a while then left for their own homes.

The next day at school he got tons of french homework, all reading in the book and practicing the few things they'd learned that day. His last class of the day was uneventful too, except that they were assigned a poem that was due by Monday. His Spanish class... He was trying not to think about his Spanish class as he sat with his friends in the cafeteria. He'd been partnered up with, you guessed it, Sasuke Uchiha for a skit they would perform just before Winter break. He groaned. Couldn't the week be over yet? "I hate Thursdays. They're the worst day of the week." He muttered this, but Neji still heard him. Of course.

"Why is that? Most people hate Mondays."

"Thursday's are false Fridays. You wake up thinking it's the end of the week and get all excited about it, just to realize at some point in the day that it actually isn't Friday yet and then the day drags and it ruins the real Friday for you." Everyone laughed a little at his logic, but in the end they all found themselves agreeing with him. "Do you think you can be buddhist without really knowing how to be?"

"Why do you ask?" Ino inquired curiously.

"Because I'm really feeling some karma coming my way recently. I like the idea of karma usually, but this time it's like it's coming around to beat me with a stick instead of getting justice for me."

"Well, I guess it's possible. But seriously, lighten up. Working with Sasuke can't be as horrible as we're making it out to be," Lee said with his eternal optimism. He was greeted by a unanimous wave of disbelieving looks and sighed. "Okay, so it probably is. But you'll survive."

"I know, I know. I'm just not sure I'll want to after our first study session." Again he received sympathetic, helpless looks all around. Thursday's really did suck.

Friday was no different. They were given tons of homework in each class and he still had to go see Itachi after school. Suigetsu had agreed to come pick him up and take him. Gaara was going for moral support and because there wasn't much else he had to do. As they walked in a familiar raven was walking out of Itachi's office. He was walking backward and didn't notice Naruto, but both the blond and the redhead had stopped to stare at him. Could it get any worse? "I'll see you at home brother. I just wanted to bring you a late lunch because I know you neglect yourself when you're working."

"Of course. I'll see you tonight Sasuke. Go ahead and order pizza. We both should get a break after this week." Sasuke nodded. It was then that he turned around. Naruto watched him with a vague sense of amusement as he actually lost his balance from the shock. Itachi came to make sure his brother was okay. "Oh. Hey Naruto. Have you met my brother yet?"

"Uh, yeah. We've met." He felt stupid for not making the connection. Remembering the fond way Itachi had spoken of his little brother, Naruto tried to merge the one before him with that image. It didn't work. Sasuke left looking furious and confused. Gaara still had his mouth open. "You don't, uh, talk about your work at home do you?"

"Of course not. That's strictly confidential. I don't believe I've seen you before. Are you a new patient?" he asked, turning to Gaara.

"This is my friend Gaara. He's just waiting on me."  
"I see. Well, shall we then?" He gestured to his office. They entered.  
"I can't believe your little brother is my arch enemy."

"Oh? This sounds like an amusing story. Continue." So Naruto told him the whole story.

"I don't get it. I didn't do anything to him!" he practically shouted when he'd finished.

"Naruto, just as I will not discuss you with my brother, I cannot in good consceince discuss my brother with you. However, I think that the more time you spend together the clearer things will become. You'll see."

"Well that's cryptic." Naruto pouted a little but then turned serious. "So, where do we start today?"

"Last time we ran out of time just as you were getting ready to mention Zabuza," Itachi prompted.

"I remember now. Well, it had been a while since I'd lived with anyone and I thought he was decent enough. That is until that one night when everything changed..."

Suigetsu dropped him off at home after the session was over and Gaara was dropped at his house on the way back. He found Kakashi. "Hey, Kakashi?" he started.

"Yes Naruto?" he asked, looking up from his newspaper.

"Could you possibly take me into town tomorrow?"

"Sure. Why? What's up?"

"Suigetsu told me I should get a cell phone so I can call him if I ever need a ride."

"I agree. A cell phone has a lot of benefits. Tell you what. I'll drop you off in town, you can even come hang out at my precinct when you're done if you'd like, and then Iruka can pick you up on his way home from grocery shopping. Deal?"

"Deal. Thanks." He smiled happily.

Kakashi grinned back at him. "No problem. Oh yeah. Iruka and I tried to figure out a solution to your sleeping problem and we finally came up with one. We've created a little attachment I think will help you. You should go see."

Naruto walked upstairs to see his bed. It had always been against the side wall with the end he slept at against the back wall which had already blocked off both sides. Now there was a smooth piece of wood that had been attached to the other long side so that it was litteraly impossible to fall off unless he somehow managed to do so from the foot end of the bed. He grinned. "Thanks guys!" he called down and fell face first onto his bed to relax before he helped Iruka with dinner.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N: The poem is mine and I have the original, so yeah. Enjoy.**

**Rated MA just to be safe. **

**Chapter Ten - Your Place or Mine?**

Saturday had been fun. The people in town were really nice and he'd had fun wandering around the stores there. He'd spent a lot of time in the local Wal*Mart trying to decide based on the furniture there if he wanted to decorate his room any. He'd finally bought a Nightmare Before Christmas poster and a few little pillows to make his bed more comfortable. They were fuzzy and lots of different colors. He bought himself some frozen yogurt and ate it outside since it was such a nice day. When Iruka picked him up he had him drop him off at Gaara's so he could get some work done with Kaze. They were really making progress. Even Suigetsu had been able to ride him when he'd come over to check out Naruto's new phone. Gaara's dad had been practically overjoyed. He'd gone home and eaten dinner then passed out on the couch downstairs for a bit, only waking up when Iruka and Kakashi tried to sneak quietly past him to their room. Sunday hadn't been all that eventful. Sunday was a family day for Gaara so he stayed home on those days. He didn't have any of his friends' numbers so that was a no go. Kakashi and Iruka were both off and liked to be lazy on that day; it was the one day they didn't do chores. He managed to persuade them to play a game of Phase Ten with him, but they'd called it quits after round five. He had been bored out of his mind and even Suigetsu couldn't come by. So, it was a bit of an understatement to say that he was eager when Monday came. Monday's weren't bad at all. It was the day he got to see his friends.

He'd been up almost an hour earlier than he needed to be that morning and he made breakfast for the other two men. When they woke up and saw the omelets he'd made they were stunned, when they tasted them they were blown away. Iruka had looked at him curiously and Kakashi had made a comment about him switching with Iruka as the cook in this house. That earned Kakashi a smack over the head and Naruto rushed to assure them that he'd learned everything from Iruka. Now he was at school, grabbing his black backpack and making his way to French. He glanced longingly at the beauty that was Kiba's girlfriend then made his way over to Gaara. They practiced what they'd learned last class period and turned in their homework, then learned a few new phrases. Last time they'd learned nationalities, this time they learned weather. He made his way to Spanish and talked to Neji and Lee until _he_ walked in. He sighed and excused himself.

"Hello teme." He tried not to glare at the pale boy. The favor wasn't returned.

"What do you want dobe?" Sasuke growled with a scowl on his face.

"Look, we should get as much of this done as we can so we aren't stuck together all year. Why don't you meet me at the flag pole after shool today?" He tried to keep the snarl out of his voice.

"Sure. Whatever." Sasuke turned his head and ignored him. He was grinding his teeth by the time he got back to his seat. Class was slow because he already knew all of this and he was glad when the bell rang. He ate lunch with his friends and tired not to think about what would happen after school today. English was fun. His teacher liked his poem so much that he read it out loud to the class.

"As loud as a fog horn,

So thick you can cut it,

It wraps around us all.

This creature borne

By none who could fight it,

Beneath it's pressure we fall.

Soft as a pillow,

As light as a feather,

A friend to see you through.

Like a sad weepy willow,

In cold, rainy weather,

Seems to cry as you do.

It holds your hand,

It strangles you,

This friend, this foe we share.

By you it stands,

Quiet and true,

Yet leaves you scared and bare.

No one knows

From where it came,

No explanation is offered from science.

It festers and grows,

We fear its name,

This thing that we call silence."

The title was silence, but it was more dramatic if you didn't know that until afterwards. The whole class applauded and Naruto tried desperately not to blush. Sora just grinned at him. "You never told me you could write like that!"

"Well, I only do it for school usually. I'm not used to other people hearing it. My teachers have never shared before."

"Ebisu is pretty hard to please so for him to do that he must think you're really good."

Naruto felt himself blushing. "Is that good or bad?"

"I'd say it's good."

"Cool. Hey, can I get your number? I just got a phone and I have been filling in my contact list all day." The other boy nodded and gave him his number. He quickly texted him with just his name so that he would know who it was and said, "There. Now you have mine too." The bell rang. "See you Wednesday."

"See you!"

He walked outside to the flagpole and found Gaara and Sasuke having a staring contest. He groaned. This would not be good. He turned to Sasuke who hadn't seemed to notice him and said, "You want to do this at your place or mine?" He very much disliked the idea of the baka being in his house, let alone his room, but he had decided to play things nice so that they could get everything done quickly.

"Yours. I don't let people come to my house." Sasuke smirked at him, finally breaking away from his contest. Naruto clenched his fists and took deep breaths. Jerk.

"Fine. Come on Gaara. Let's go." They all walked in an awkward silence for a bit, but Naruto was determined to ignore the teme so he struck up a conversation with his redheaded friend. Gaara looked smug by the time they reached his house. The rest of the walk was filled with an almost tangible animosity as they ignored each other. They finally reached his house and he saw a hint of admiration flash across Sasuke's face. He unlocked the door and walked inside, grabbing an apricot and leading the other boy upstairs. He sat on the floor and ate his fruit while Sasuke inspected his room.

"You like the Nightmare Before Christmas?" he asked with a snicker.

"So? I like a lot of animated movies, most being Disney, and I'm not ashamed of that." Naruto was perfectly calm. He knew how to deal with teasing.

"My mom used to be obsessed with Disney movies," he murmured and Naruto sat up a little straighter. Had he just said something that wasn't dickish? And about his mother no less? He fought to keep his mouth from hanging open. "Let's get started," he said in his normal grumpy voice and Naruto sighed. So much for thinking he might be human after all. They sat and worked on their Spanish skit for a while. "Why are you so good at this?" the raven demanded angrily after the umteenth time he'd corrected him.

"I've been speaking it since I was young. Chill." Naruto was ready to just call the whole thing off and fail his classes. Sasuke grumbled about stupid blonds who think they know everything and he nearly shouted at him. That was, until he heard the next part. Sasuke obviously didn't think Naruto could make out what he was saying when he muttered under his breath about stupid cute blonds who fuck with his concentration and make him mess up. Naruto would have fallen on his ass had he been standing. He was totally stunned. Just then he heard Iruka's voice.

"Naruto! Are you busy, or can you help me with dinner?"

Sasuke jumped at the sudden unexpected voice and then glanced at Naruto who tried to keep his face devoid of emotion. "We might as well call it quits for now. No need to rush it. We have the general idea, we can work on the specifics later." Naruto nodded and headed downstairs, aware that Sasuke was following him.

"Oh. I didn't know you had company. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"No, it's alright. He was just leaving."

"Nonsense. He must stay for dinner of course." Naruto held back a groan. Sasuke looked like he was trying to find a polite way to say no.

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping out," Naruto said evilly, not containing his smile. Sasuke inconspicuously glared at him.

"Of course I would. Thank you for the invite. How can I help?" He smirked at Naruto, but the blond knew the truth. He didn't want to be here a second longer than necessary and he was hating every minute of this. He thought of the words he'd thought he'd heard a few moments ago and decided that he'd heard wrong. There was simply no other explanation.

Iruka looked please. "Well, I'm making Mexican food tonight. I usually have Naruto do all the slicing, dicing and shredding, but he does hate the shredding with a passion. Would you mind?" He held out a block of cheese to the raven.

"I don't - " Naruto started, but Iruka cut him off.

"Yes you do. You may not have said anything, but I can tell. I'm not blind and I'm certainly not deaf. Some of the cuss words you come up with astound me." Sasuke was downright grinning now.

"Sure. I don't mind." He took the cheese and grabbed the grater that had already been set on top of a glass plate. Naruto growled and started chopping the onions. "Don't you do that under water?" Sasuke asked after a moment.

Naruto looked at him as though he was crazy. "Why would I do that?"

"It helps to mask the smell so your eyes don't water." He rolled his eyes in a clear 'duh'.

"The smell doesn't bother me. I don't like it, but it doesn't make me cry," he scoffed.

"That's why I make _you_ do it," Iruka said.

"Oh." He finished with the onions and moved on to the tomatos, ignoring Sasuke when he murmured something about him being weird. He finished all of his tasks around the same time that Sasuke got done with the cheese and realized he had nothing to do now. Usually he got done just as dinner did. He went downstairs and grabbed a rubix cube, coming back upstairs to sit at the table. He only had two sides done when Kakashi came in and he looked up to greet him and caught Sasuke watching him in fascination. The boy promptly glared and looked away. "Hey Kakashi. How was work?" Sasuke's eyes widened when he saw the two older men kiss. Naruto bit his lip, hoping he wouldn't say anything rude.

"Good Naruto, thanks for asking. How was yours?" He glanced at Sasuke.

"Got some of my Spanish project done."

"That's good. You must be Itachi's brother, Sasuke. He wasn't kidding when he said you two could be twins."

"Yeah. It's nice to meet you Mr. Hatake."

"Just call me Kakashi." The gray-haired man smiled as he took off the scarf that usually covered his face when he was in public. Naruto let out a sigh of relief when Sasuke swallowed his gasp.

"Alright boys. Dinner is served." Iruka grinned and set the beans and hamburger meat on the table among the rest of the stuff. Everyone helped themselves. Naruto loaded his with beans, cheese and tomatos. He made two to start with. Kakashi put an equal amount of beans and meat on his, added cheese, then smothered them in onions. Naruto scrunched his nose. Yuck. Iruka had both meat and beans, though in small quantities to make room for all the onions, peppers, lettuce and tomatos he put on it. He only made one to start with. Sasuke put meat, cheese, lettuce and tomatos on his and folded them into tacos. They said a silent prayer and Naruto watched to see if Sasuke did as well. He was only slightly surprised when the boy bowed his head and closed his eyes. After that they dug in. "Do you need a ride home Sasuke?" Iruka asked after they'd all stuffed themselves full.

"I could call Itachi," he offered.

"No need. I'm sure Naruto will want to say goodbye anyways." Iruka stood up and grabbed his coat. Naruto quickly cleared the table, deciding he'd do the dishes when he got back. He wasn't going to set Iruka straight if Sasuke wasn't, not when he was obviously happy to see someone other than Gaara or Suigetsu here. He probably thought he was making friends. He decided to bring the others over sometime. The car ride was strange and he kept fidgeting. He'd sat in back with Sasuke so that Iruka wouldn't get suspicious and now he was regretting it.

When they pulled up to the house Sasuke had indicated Naruto said, "You should give me your number so you can let me know if you think of anything, or something comes up when we have plans..."

Sasuke looked at him with a funny expression on his face as he leaned over and typed it into his phone. Naruto sent his customary text to Sasuke and heard a soft jingle go off. "I guess... I'll see you tomorrow," Sasuke said, glancing at Iruka who was beaming. "Thank you for the ride Iruka."

"No problem." The brunette turned to smile directly at him.

"Uh, yeah. Tomorrow. Night."

"Night." Sasuke all but ran to his house. It was a once story house, but it looked cozy. It was painted a rich green color which Naruto loved. That was his second favorite color. The drive home was comfortable; he'd switched to the front seat and was staring out the windshield. They had to stop for a moment to let a doe and her two fawns pass and that made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He loved animals, especially baby ones. When they got home he went upstairs and texted Gaara.

_'Just dropped Sasuke off. That was weird. Iruka was going all gaga on him.'_

_ 'Haha. That sounds funny. How was grumpypants taking it?'_

_ 'Really well actually. He pretended we were friends and even helped make dinner.'_

_ 'That's creepy. Wonder what he's up to?'_

_ 'Probably just being nice to his elders.'_

_ 'Yeah. Probably. How much did you get accomplished?'_

_ 'We have the rough outline for our skit. Only maybe one or two more study sessions before we're done with that one. But we still have the other two. This sucks. And then there's rehearsing of course...'_

_ 'Man. I don't envy you. How bad was he?'_

_ 'Actually not as bad as I expected. He seemed almost civil for the most part.'_ Naruto stopped to think about that. Why had he been so normal today? He disliked him more than Naruto reciporocated, right? _Stupid cute blonds who fuck with my concentration and make me mess up._ Sasuke had really said that. As much as he wanted to believe otherwise, he'd heard correctly. Was it possible he liked him?

_'Don't let your guard down. I'm sure he'll be just as bad at school tomorrow. _

_ 'Yeah. I'm sure you're right. Well, I'll see you tomorrow.'_

_ 'Yep. Goodnight.'_

_ 'Goodnight.'_ He plugged his phone in so that it could charge overnight and laid down on his box-bed. What if Sasuke really did like him? Did Naruto like him back? He definitely didn't like him when he was being an asshole, but he really hadn't been all that bad today. It was too early to say. Hell, the boy hadn't even admitted to liking him out loud yet, so it was too early to even be thinking about. He sighed and rolled onto his stomach. Without even changing into his pajamas he fell into a deep sleep.

_He was in his house alone. Iruka and Kakashi had gone out to dinner for their anniversary. He was going to go downstairs to play a game when the doorbell rang. He went to see who it was, arching his eyebrow in surprise when he saw the familiar raven. _

_ "Can I help you?" The boy didn't answer him, just stepped closer and pressed his lips to Naruto's. The blond gasped in surprise and then felt Sasuke's tongue against his. He moaned as the other boy stroked the roof of his mouth and pulled the pale one closer. Yes. Everything in his body screamed yes. When Sasuke's hands slid down his back and cupped his ass he undulated his hips against the older male. That caused the raven to groan as well. He pulled him slowly to the couch and laid down on it, bringing Sasuke with him. They were rubbing against each other roughly, moaning and gasping and grunting in pleasure. And then suddenly they were naked and Sasuke was pushing his legs apart, positioning himself just right so that he could - _Naruto sat up with a hoarse cry, noticing the sweat that covered his body. Jeez! As if he'd ever want to do that again. No thanks. He groaned when he realized he had an erection and it was throbbing painfully. He willed it away as he thought of other things. But eventually he came back to the dream. Even if he did do that again, he wouldn't do it with Sasuke, right? He remembered how the boy had felt against him in the dream and muttered a curse as his manparts stirred again. Okay, so maybe he would. But still, he would never do that consentually. He didn't see why anyone would. But then again, Iruka and Kakashi do that consentually, so maybe it wasn't all that bad if you did it right? He groaned and face-palmed. Why was he even thinking about this? Even if he was on board, Sasuke would never want to be intimate with him. Would he? Naruto sighed and punched his pillow. This was pointless. With another whispered expletive he forced himself to go back to sleep. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**A/N: I have been really busy lately and I needed to take a break. I've been writing too much which tends to bring out the recluse in me. Sorry. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Enjoy. **

**Chapter Eleven - I Know You.**

Naruto had gone back to sleep after that disturbing dream only to wake back up less than fifteen minutes later. He'd forgotten to do the dishes. He sighed and got up. It wasn't fair to make Iruka do the dishes when he did the cooking, and it wasn't fair to make Kakashi do them because he worked all day. He wasn't going to leave them there until morning because one of them might do them anyway. He went downstairs and washed the dishes.

"Naruto? What are you doing up so late? It's almost three in the morning." Naruto jumped and turned to look sheepishly at Kakashi.

"I forgot to do the dishes when I got back from dropping Sasuke off. I didn't want one of you guys to do them."

Kakashi smiled at him. "We're not slave drivers you know. We appreciate that you help out, but you don't have to lose sleep over it. Come on. Let's both get back to bed."

"I'm almost done. Just give me one minute. You can go though." Naruto blushed and turned back to washing, picking up the pace. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Actually I woke up because I was thirsty," Kakashi said, grabbing a water bottle and propping himself against the table. "So. We haven't talked much lately. What's been going on with you at school?" Naruto couldn't believe that he was up talking to him at this hour when he had to get up soon, but he answered anyway, telling him everything. "So Sasuke is really your rival? Wow. That's going to bum Iruka out."

"At least wait until I've brought some of my other friends over before you tell him."

Kakashi chuckled. "Sure thing. Well, it's time for both of us to try and get a little more sleep before we have to get up. It was nice to talk to you. We'll have to do this again sometime, except not so late." Naruto agreed and went back to his room to attempt to sleep. It didn't happen. He groaned when his alarm clock went off.

"Hey. You look like crap. What happened?" Gaara asked when they met up that morning.

"Didn't sleep much. First I had a weird dream and then I realized I'd forgetten to do the dishes. Couldn't sleep after that."

"Wow. You wouldn't catch me doing the dishes when I could be sleeping," Gaara said, giving him a what the hell look.

"Don't judge. That's just how I do things," Naruto grumbled. Gaara laughed at him and he felt himself grinning in response. Naruto made his way to physics and sat down at his table with Sasuke. He started to turn to Kiba when Sasuke tapped him lightly on the shoulder. He turned around, puzzled. Why was he initiating contact?

"Should we get together after shool again today?" the boy asked nonchalantly.

Naruto saw the look on Kiba's face and realized he was going to be grilled today. He sighed. Thanks usuratonkachi. "I guess we can if you'd like. I have to work first though, so you can either come over later or come to work with me. Your choice."

"I'll meet you at the flagpole again," Sasuke responded and then went back to ignoring him.

Naruto turned back to Kiba. "He went to your house last night?!" Kiba whisper-yelled. Naruto mentally groaned.

"Yeah. We had to start working on stuff so we can get out of each other's hair sooner rather than later."

"Wow. How was it? Was it really horrible?" Kiba looked like he was hoping for a juicy story.

"He was pretty tame and then he even helped make dinner. I practically challenged him, but still."

"Wow. That's insane. I figured I'd never see you again after your first study session. Thought you'd kill each other." Kiba looked a little disappointed not to be rid of Sasuke. Naruto held back a laugh as the teacher walked in. He was exhausted by the end of Gai's lesson. Would he ever get used to him?

"Hey Gaara," he said as he caught up to him outside of their math class. They walked in together.

"Hey. How was first?" he asked as they took a seat.

"It was... weird. Sasuke started a conversation, even tapped me to get my attention."

"Really?" Gaara asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah. He wanted to know if he could come over again today to work on stuff some more and even agreed to come to work with me and wait for me to get done."

"Wow. That is unusual. We'll just have to see how he behaves today." Naruto nodded. Just then Deidara walked in. Class began shortly after. It was pretty easy stuff. Naruto liked algebra. Class seemed to pass quickly and the bell rang for them to go. He gathered up his things and started walk out with Gaara when Deidara called him back.

"Yes sir?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"It's just, well, I thought I remembered you, and your name rang a bell. I've been thinking it over for a little while now. You were living with Karin a few years back, weren't you?" Deidara asked, tilting his head curiously.

Naruto gasped. "I remember now! You're Haku's father, aren't you? How is he?" Naruto asked, surprised to say the least.

"He's doing great. He's almost four now. He's getting so big. Do you want to see a picture?" Naruto nodded eagerly. What he saw made him smile. He'd grown really close to the little guy while he was there and it made him happy to see him growing up. He'd be school age in just another year.

"When did you move out here?" Naruto asked, oddly serene.

"Karin got married to some guy named Hidan about seven months ago and they moved out here. I just wanted to stay close to Haku, so I followed. I wasn't ready to be that far away from him." Naruto nodded. "I'm glad to see you're doing well. I'll pass on the message. Are you... interested in seeing either of them again?" he asked hesitantly.

"Not... not yet. Maybe soon though. I have to go or I'll be late for class." Deidara nodded and let him go. When he came in late Sasuke looked at him curiously but said nothing. Shikamaru and Choji talked his ear off. He barely listened through the whole period, still thinking about Haku. He really did want to see him again, he was just afraid of this Hidan guy and all the memories seeing Karin might bring up. He barely heard the bell ring. He headed to the library, just wanting to be alone for a little while. When school was finally over he made his way to the flag pole where he met up with Gaara and Sasuke who both seemed to be doing just fine around each other. That was a relief. They walked quietly to Gaara's house and then he felt his troubles making their way to the back burner when he caught sight of Kaze. "Hey boy," he said happily as the horse nuzzled him. "How have you been? I haven't seen you since Saturday. Did you miss me?" The horse snorted softly. He swung over the fence and walked the horse over to his stall where he grabbed a brush and started brushing his beautiful mane. He was surprised when he heard two sets of feet heading toward him. Why would Sasuke come in?

"Can... can I try?" Sasuke asked hesitantly. Naruto blinked in astonishment but handed him the brush. He guided his hand the first few times to show him how to do it properly, but then let him take over. He exchanged stunned looks with Gaara. After a moment Sasuke said, "This is the first time I've been so close to horse. They're bigger than I thought." His voice was soft, pleasant even, and his mouth was curved up into a slight smile. "My mother loved horses. She used to talk about owning one some day and then we could all ride whenever we wanted." His tone was almost bittersweet yet again, but neither of the other boys interrupted him. He was being nice for once. Kaze turned and nibbled at his hand causing Sasuke to jump and back away.

"Don't worry. He won't bite you. Just hold your hand flat and palm up." He watched Sasuke hesitate and then do as instructed. The horse nibbled at his palm as though looking for treats, but he didn't cause the boy any harm. Naruto grabbed two treats out of the bucket they kept around and he placed one in Sasuke's hand, instructing him to do the same thing again. He did so timidly, and jumped a little when the horse took the treat, but then turned to them with a big smile on his face and held his hand out for another. Naruto couldn't help but grin. After he'd fed him another treat he sighed as though realizing his usefulness had come to an end. "Would you like to ride him?" Naruto asked suddenly after giving Gaara a quick glance.

Sasuke's eyes widened in both fear and surprise. "Is it... safe?" Naruto could tell by looking at Gaara that he was wondering the same thing.

"Sure. He's been doing great lately. Besides, he seems to like you. Come on. Help me saddle him." Sasuke didn't move for a minute, but slowly he followed him.

"Show me what to do." He looked determined now. Fifteen minutes later everything was ready and the only thing that was left was to get a rather nervous Sasuke onto the occasionally tempermental horse. At first it seemed like maybe Naruto had been wrong, but as soon as Kaze took off at a trot he heard Sasuke laugh with pleasure. Everything would be fine he decided as he leaned on the fence and watched them. He'd briefly explained steering to Sasuke, but he burst out laughing when Sasuke tried to get him to go right and the horse kept going in circles. Gaara was laughing too. But then again, so was Sasuke once he figured it out.

"So. He's being awefully strange today," Gaara said casually.

"I know. I never would have expected him to even come past the fence."

Gaara nodded. "You got that right. I was immensely puzzled when he followed me over. He looks... happy." The last word was hesitant, as though he couldn't really put his word on the correct emotion and was settling for the closest one he could come up with. But Naruto had to admit he agreed. Once he called Kaze in and the unsaddled him and hung up his bridle, he turned him loose to graze in the pasture and the three boys sat there in a companionable silence. Around the time Iruka would normally be getting home Naruto and Sasuke headed out, Sasuke giving Gaara a half wave when he walked away. When they got home the both started helping Iruka cook without being asked to. Naruto was surprised that Sasuke started doing it automatically. When Kakashi got home they talked a bit, then ate dinner and Naruto did the dishes when they were done. After that they went upstairs to do some work on their physics project. Putting together an outline didn't take too long. They just needed a summary, thesis statement and an annotated bibliography. Their project required a minimum of two text sources and one web source which was the only difficult part since neither of them had a computer. They had to use Kakashi's PS3 to use the internet. The only computer in the house was Iruka's laptop and Naruto didn't feel right about using something so personal. They finished it before ten o'clock which is when Itachi had told Sasuke he'd be picking him up. When the man got there he said hello to Naruto and chatted with him politely for a moment before leaving with Sasuke. Naruto texted a few of his friends before going to sleep. He had to admit, today hadn't been so bad.

**So I realized I made a mistake when I was rereading. Damn. Anyways, I said Naruto was already sixteen. I lied. His birthday isn't until after shool starts, so he's only going to turn Sixteen in a couple of months. I can't believe I got my own timeline wrong. Lol. Sorry guys. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Things heat up a little. Finally. Enjoy. **

**Chapter Twelve - Text Truce.**

The rest of the school week went much the same, Sasuke following him to work after school and then going home with him to work on their projects. Friday he'd even tagged along when Suigetsu had dropped him off at Itachi's office. The boy had said a brief hello to his brother and then sat patiently in a chair for the blond to get done. Nothing special happened in his session with Itachi except that he shed a few tears he couldn't hold back while he was talking about Nagato and Konan. The younger Uchiha noticed but thankfully didn't say anything. Now it was Saturday and Naruto had invited the gang over. Suigetsu, Gaara, Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Ino, Ten-Ten, Neji, Lee, Shikamaru, Choji and Sora were all in various places around the game room which he'd gotten permission to let them use. Iruka was unbelievably giddy about the amount of friends Naruto had aquired. It felt nice to finally get a break from Sasuke, but at the same time he kind of missed having him around because it had quickly become a routine for them. Just as he finished that thought he got a text.

_'Naruto? Are you busy?'_

Naruto was surprised that Sasuke was texting him. It must be important. _'Not particularly. Why? What's up?'_

_ 'Itachi's in a session with someone and I just got bored since I'm here all alone. I figured I'd text someone...'_

_ 'Why'd you pick me?'_

_ 'Because I can. Is that a problem?'_

_ 'No. Just weird. You don't usually like my company.'_

_ '...'_

_ 'What?'_

_ 'Look. I don't really have anything against you. I just don't want people at school to see you as a friend or anything because friends are weaknesses that can be used against you. Can we just call a truce whenever we're not in school? Or even while we're in school as long as we're just texting?'_

Naruto bit his lip. It was a lame reason to be mean to him, but if he was really willing to be at least a friendly aquaintance when they were alone then he supposed he should take the offer. _'Sure. No problem. I've gotten used to having you around anyway.'_

_ '... Thanks... It gets kind of lonely sometimes to be honest. I have a friend named Yahiko who I see maybe once a month, but other than that it's just Itachi and me. When Itachi's gone, it's _just_ me. You go kind of crazy sometimes, you know?'_

_ 'Yeah. I can't say I've had that much time of just being alone in my life, but I've had enough to know what you're talking about. I lived on my own for a year once and I went coo-coo for cocoa puffs.'_

_ 'Lol. How did you live alone? You're not an adult yet...'_

_ 'That's for me to know and you to maybe one day find out.'_

_ 'Okay. Lol.'_

"Hey Naruto, what are you doing?" Neji asked suddenly. He almost jumped, but he stopped himself in time. He didn't want to appear guilty.

"Sasuke just texted me with an idea about the history project. I'll be done in just a second." Everyone seemed to accept that and turned back to what they were doing. Everyone except Neji who looked skeptical. _'Hey man, I have the gang over right now and they're getting suspiscious. Ttyl?'_

_ 'Yeah. Sure. Text me if it isn't two in the morning when they leave.'_

_ 'Sure.'_ He put his phone away and went to play Halo with Kiba and Shikamaru.

"I'm glad to see you have so many friends. I was starting to get worried when Gaara and Suigetsu were the only ones who came over here, but when you brought Sasuke home I started to have some hope." Iruka was smiling happily at him. He'd just spent hours cooking, insisting he didn't need Naruto's help, to feed the hoard of hungry teenagers, it was almost midnight, and he still looked energized.

"It's a little overwhelming isn't it?" Kakashi asked before ducking to avoid a whack over the head.

"A little," Naruto admitted with a grin. Iruka just huffed at him. "Iruka... I wasn't completely honest with you about Sasuke. You see, we're not really friends. I didn't want to disappoint you so I didn't say anything until now, but in reality we barely talk to each other. He comes here just to do school work we were assigned together." He peeked up at Iruka to see how he was taking it. He had a funny, amused look on his face which puzzled Naruto.

"He doesn't know yet?" he asked, turning to Kakashi.

"Doesn't seem that way. Give him a break though. I only noticed two days ago."

"What are you guys talking about?" Naruto asked, utterly perplexed.

"You'll find out soon enough on your own," Iruka said with a sharp look at Kakashi.

"I wasn't going to tell him!" Kakashi said throwing his arms up in surrender.

"Oh, come on. That's not fair!" he whined. They both just laughed at him.

"I'm sure you'll know within the next two weeks. Just be patient," Iruka said maddeningly. He pouted and went up to his room. As soon as he laid down on his bed he pulled out his phone. Did he want to text Sasuke or go to bed? He decided he wasn't tired yet so he sent a quick one. _'Hey. You up?'_

_ 'Yep. Have fun with the gang?'_

_ 'Yep. Eating was... interesting. Lol. Iruka loved it. He was gushy the whole time.'_

_ 'Sounds about right. Lol. So. What are you doing now?'_

_ 'Just laying in bed texting you. You?'_

_ 'Same. Itachi's not coming home tonight. He's staying at Guren's.'_

_ 'That sucks. I'm sorry. Who's Guren?'_

_ 'His girlfriend. She has a kid, Yuukimaru. I was surprised he was willing to take on another kid, but I do try to stay out of his hair as much as possible so maybe it's not all that bad.'_

_ 'How long have they been together?'_

_ 'Almost a year now. He's driving me nutts about it too. He won't let her move in because he doesn't want to upset me or something stupid like that, and he won't move in with her because of me. I can't wait 'til I can move out so they can finally just pick a place and stay there. It's not like it would bother me either way, Itachi's just weird and won't believe me.'_

_ 'Wow. That sounds like fun... Please note the sarcasm.'_

_ 'Lol. Noted. So...'_

_ 'What do you want to talk about?'_

_ 'We could get to know each other a little better...'_

_ 'Okay. You go first.'_ They talked until almost five a.m. and Naruto groaned when he saw the time. _'I have to be up by noon on weekends, so I'm going to be grumpy come morning if I don't get to sleep soon. Want to come over tomorrow? Just to hang out? These two are about as entertaining as a brick wall on Sundays.'_

_ 'Sure. I'll see you around two. Night Naruto.'_

_ 'Night Sasuke. See you then.'_ He put his phone on charge and rolled onto his stomach. He had that puffy eyelid feeling from staying up to late and his stomach was growling persistantly, but within minutes he was sound asleep.

"So. What do you want to do now?" Naruto asked awkwardly when Sasuke showed up at two o'clock on the dot.

"Um. Do you have scrabble or something?" he asked, fidgeting. This was weird.

"Yeah. Let's do it in my room though, cuz Kakashi likes to vedge out on the couch and play his xbox sporadically through the day." Sasuke nodded. They went downstairs to unearth the game then made their way upstairs. "I need to work out more if two flights of stairs is enough to kill me!" he gasped when he shut his door and fell onto his bed, trying to catch his breath. Sasuke was breathing a little faster than usual, but not by much.

"I'm getting used to it in PE," he said.

"Ah. I opted out this year. I'll do it next year." Naruto got everything ready and they started to play. He was delighted at Sasuke's vocabulary as things progressed and he stared in shock when he laid down the last four tiles. They'd used every single tile. He'd never done that before. He looked up with a huge grin to see what Sasuke was thinking and that's when it happened. Naruto was suddenly in Sasuke's lap while the pale boy's lips were moving softly over his. His eyes widened, but Sasuke had his closed so he couldn't tell was the raven was thinking. That bugged him. He didn't pull away from the kiss, strangely curious to see how this would play out, but he did reach up to brush his fingers against a pale cheek. Sasuke's eyes snapped open. He stared at Naruto as he pulled away.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that without permission," he murmured, still searching Naruto's eyes. Naruto wasn't sure what he was looking for, but when the other boy leaned forward again, slowly this time, he leaned in the last little bit. Their lips collided once more and soon Sasuke was prodding Naruto's lips with his tongue, asking for permission. Hesitantly Naruto parted them enough to let him in. It wasn't like he hadn't kissed a boy before, so he wasn't quite as hesitant as he would have been had this been his first time. He felt Sasuke growing hard beneath him and he shuddered as he felt the nausea grip him. He pulled away and removed himself from Sasuke's lap.

"I have trouble sitting in other people's laps," he explained, looking everywhere but at the bulge in Sasuke's pants.

"Why is that?" Sasuke asked softly though Naruto could detect the desire in there and he trembled.

"I'm... not ready to tell you about that yet. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." There was a moment of strained silence. "Look, what just happened doesn't have to happen again if you're not comfortable with it. I've just been wanting to do that for a while and some of your words turned me on."

"Like what?" Naruto asked, not touching on how long Sasuke had been wanting to do that.

"Hard, long, erect..." He named off a few. Naruto blushed. He hadn't thought of how perverted they sounded when he put them down, but he was a natural pervert despite his past. Or maybe because of it. It just came naturally. It was only when things got heavy that he freaked apparently.

"I didn't mean to provoke you. I didn't mind it though. Maybe, if you keep it PG13, then I wouldn't mind doing it again." He didn't look at Sasuke when he said this.

"I'd like that. And maybe, when you get more comfortable with it, you'll tell me why you look so sad," he murmured, capturing his lips in the gentlest kiss Naruto had ever experienced. It was over almost as soon as it started.

"How long have you...?" he asked, trying to change the subject. If he did get comfortable with it he most certainly would have to tell the boy, but until that day came he didn't want to think about it.

"Since you walked into my class on the first day and glared at me." He smiled a little at the memory.

"Wow." Something slowly dawned on him. "Wait! Is that what Itachi meant?" he exclaimed. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "He said that soon it would become clear why you didn't like me." His eyebrows furrowed. "Hell, even Iruka and Kakashi knew. They were hinting that I didn't know something when you came up in the conversation. Wow. How did so many people know before I did?" he grumbled.

Sasuke laughed. "Itahi's my brother. He knows my tastes. Kakashi is the chief of police so that one's obvious. And Iruka doesn't miss anything." Naruto sighed as he realized he was right.

"So. What now?" he asked, scratching his head uncertainly.

"Whatever you want," Sasuke said quietly. Slowly, biting his lower lip uncertainly, he leaned forward.

"I want you to kiss me again," he whispered and Sasuke smiled. He sighed as he got lost in the kiss.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Um, I think they call it Lime? Rated MA just in case. **

**Chapter Thirteen - Fooling Around.**

Naruto walked into class on Monday and took his seat next to Sasuke. The raven smirked at him. "Good morning dobe."

Naruto blinked a few times. It was really weird to act like nothing had happened between them. He wasn't about to be outclassed though. "Morning it is teme, but I'm not sure about good. It would be better if I didn't have to sit by you." He saw the laughter in Sasuke's eyes and heard Kiba snicker behind him. He leaned on the table and barely restrained a yelp of surprise when he felt Sasuke's hand on his thigh.

"Put your jacket on backwards so that it covers your front," Sasuke breathed. Naruto heard him and hastily did as he was told. He was only wearing shorts and the way he was sitting, slightly turned in his seat towards Sasuke, gave the boy better access. He bit his lip to hold back a gasp when Sasuke's hand slipped right up his shorts and into his boxers. He focused on keeping his breathing even until he couldn't take it any more. Two could play this game. With a smirk he subtly turned the boy to face him a little more and slid his hand slowly, teasingly, up the pale boy's leg. Maybe sitting on someone's lap made him uncomfortable, but this sure didn't. This was just a form of justice that happened to be very fun. They were both a little out of breath by the time the bell rang, and they both sat until everyone else had left but the teacher so that they had time to calm down. He saw the glazed look in Sasuke's eyes and knew that his probably looked the same. He couldn't help but smile at the raven who smiled back.

He made his way to math and sat down next to Gaara. "You look like you just got laid, minus the sex hair," Gaara commented. He flushed. "Did you?" Gaara asked more interestedly.

"Not exactly. I just had a... very pleasant encounter."

"Who was it?" Gaara begged with a grin.

"Well, it was Jill."

"Huh? I've never heard of a Jill that goes here..." Gaara said suspiciously.

Naruto held up his right hand, palm down, and traced his fingers. "J," he said as he traced his thumb and index finger. "I," he said, wiggling his middle finger. "L, L," he finished, indicating his last two fingers.

Gaara snickered. "So was it your own Jill, or someone else's?"

Naruto blushed a little. "Not mine," he said.

"So who did this Jill belong to?" Gaara asked impatiently.

"I never Jill and tell."

Gaara laughed at that. "Fine. Don't tell me. I'll figure it out soon enough. Will you at least tell me if it was a boy or a girl?"

"... Boy." Gaara grinned at him and started thinking about it.

"Anyone I know?" Naruto nodded. "Someone in our group?" He shook his head. "So someone I know that I don't hang out with, but you do..." He gasped. "_Sasuke?_" he hissed in surprise? No one but Naruto could have heard him, but the blond looked likt a tomato now. "Oh my. When did this happen?"

"He came over yesterday and we kind of... made out... and today in class... Well, you know that part."

"Do you like him?" Gaara asked calmly.

"I don't know. I like being around him when he's not being a jerk, and we agreed to a truce outside of school, but for now, we're just seeing where this goes before we go public or anything."

"So you like him. Okay. I'll keep your secret and wish you good luck."

"How does what I said indicate that I like him?" Naruto demanded.

"Because you would have just labeled it as fooling around if you didn't." Naruto blushed even more though it didn't seem possible.

_'Hey. I really enjoyed earlier. You're really cute when you're turned on.'_

_ 'You're making me blush way more than is healthy I'm sure. What brought that on?'_

_ 'I had a nice dream last night. Did you not enjoy it...?'_

_ '... Of course I did. ... Did you?'_

_ 'Duh. Still going to your place after school?'_

_ 'Yep. Unless you have other plans.'_

_ 'I have plans, but they all involve you and your house doesn't interfere with them. :)'_

_ 'I'm not sure if I should be happy or worried.'_

_ 'I guess we'll see later won't we?'_ They texted throughout the rest of the period.

He was safe in their last class since they were clear across the room from each other, and he kept his distance while they walked with Gaara, but after they dropped the redhead off the raven slowed the pace and held his hand as they walked. Somehow they ended up a little way into the forest with Naruto pressed against a tree while Sasuke lavished him with drugging kisses. Naruto was moaning unashamedly and moving his hips against Sasuke's. He was getting way too used to this way too fast. His hands were pinned above his head and he wated nothing but to grip the black locks before him. Sasuke trailed his mouth down Naruto's face, kissing and nipping his way down to his neck. When he bit gently on Naruto's neck and the blond cried out and arched his back, he bit harder earning him a wonderful sound that came from Naruto's throat. Switching both of Naruto's hands so that he was only using one to pin him there he snaked the other one down his pants and Naruto let out a strangled cry.

When they finally made their way to the house they were both a little hungry for more. They didn't get much done that day because of all the time they spent fooling around. He was a little bummed out when Sasuke left, but it didn't last long because the raven called him. "Hey Blondie. I'm bored. Entertain me?"

Naruto laughed. "You probably just got home and you're already bored?"

"Yep. Wish you were here. Itachi's staying out again."

"You know, I'm sure Iruka and Kakashi would let you stay the night if you wanted to."

"I thought you said they both know I like you."

"They do, or at least I think they do, but they won't expect me to do anything too heavy with you."

"Why not?"

"They have both read my file. It doesn't really inspire intimacy for me."

"Really? What's in it?" The boy's voice had taken on a quiet, almost hypnotic tone.

Naruto bit his lip. Things were moving pretty fast and he needed Sasuke to know that he might throw the breaks on at any minute and he'll have to be able to react accordingly. He took a deep breath. "I'm in the foster system and I've had quite a few bad homes. I don't know if I'm ready to tell you more than that. I guess, if you have a question I'll answer it as honestly as I can."

"Okay. What happened to your parents?"

"They died. In a car crash. That's how I have these scars on my cheeks."

"How old were you when they died?"

"Six months. I don't remember them."

"Did you immediately go somewhere else?"

"No. I didn't get taken in until I was five."

"That sucks. Were they nice people?"

"In the beginning. That's where I met Suigetsu you know? They changed towards the end though, but that's my fault."

"How so?"

"A close friend of the theirs was doing things with me that he wasn't supposed to and I told them because I was scared he'd hurt the other children there. Everything was fine until after the trial and that's whent things started to spiral."

"Doing things...?"

"I was... molested..." It still embarrassed him to say it, to admit how weak he was.

"That happened to me. In the second home we went to after my parents died," he said quietly. "Itachi had no idea until it had happened a few times." Naruto was surprised that he had owned up to that. "Were you taken away after they changed?"

"Yeah. My dad got really drunk one night and started fighting with my mom who was also drunk. It was upsetting us younger ones so Suigetsu stepped in. My dad got violent. I called the cops. That was the end of it."

"I'm sorry. What next? Did you get a new home right away?"

"No. I didn't get a new home for some time. I did run away though. That's how I lived on my own. You were wondering about that."

"Yeah. So you lived on the streets then?"

"Pretty much."

"How long was it between homes?"

"Roughly five years."

"And your next home?"

"It wasn't terrible. My foster dad was... a little unorthodox. He... didn't treat me like a son, but he didn't go very far with anything. It wasn't that bad. His girlfriend wasn't very nice but she never hurt me. Her daughter... I got into some bad situations because of her and her boyfriends. One turned out to be pretty bad. I still count myself lucky that it didn't go farther."

"How'd you get out of that house?"

"A neighbor called on me. She knew something wasn't right."

"And then?"

"New home withing a year."

"What happened there?"

"I don't think I can talk about that. Not yet. It's still too fresh. It only happened a few months ago."

"It was that bad?" Sasuke whispered gently.

"I... almost died. If they hadn't come for me when they did, I wouldn't be here today."

"I'm so sorry. I'm glad you found nice parents this time."

"Me too. I'm so grateful for them. I'd gladly die for either one of them, even though we haven't known each other long. They're the first people who've been exactly what they claimed to be. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay them for their kindness."

"You don't have to. They know you appreciate it and that's what matters to them. Trust me." Trust. Did he trust him? Did he trust anyone? He trusted Kakashi and Iruka to a certain degree, but only time would make that trust grow. But Sasuke, he'd only known him for a few weeks. Did he really trust him? He thought about what they'd been doing since yesterday and decided that he must trust him at least a little.

"Okay," he said quietly and by the silence on the other end of the phone he knew that Sasuke got the message. They stayed up talking way past their bedtime, even though they had school the next morning. It was almost four when they finally hung up. The topics had eased up some and he'd actually enjoyed most of the conversation. One thing Naruto realized was that no matter how much time you spent talking to someone there was always something more to learn about them. He went to sleep with a smile on his face.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Sorry guys. I've been extremely sick. Anyways, don't judge me on this okay? Most of my relationships moved pretty fast at this point in my life. The time that we were friends before we started dating was longer in reality though. Definitely rated MA for eighteen and older.**

**Chapter Fourteen - One Week.**

"Let's go for a walk. It's nice outside today," Sasuke suggested. Naruto was always up for a walk, it was one of his favorite activities. They walked for at least half an hour before Sasuke sat down on a patch of grass and pulled Naruto down to kiss him. Naruto moaned and straddled the raven, grinding against him. He felt Sasuke's erection and for once he was more excited by it than he was afraid. He pulled away, gasping for breath. "Not here. Follow me," Sasuke murmured to him, kissing him hungrily one more time before getting up. They walked for about fifteen more minutes before they came to a secluded, abandoned road. The trees provided the perfect protection from the road that was active. Naruto followed silently. Was he really going to do this? "Are you sure?" Sasuke whispered and Naruto knew he was thinking the same thing. They were going to have sex. He briefly considered this before nodding jerkily and kissing Sasuke once again. This was only the seventh day they'd been dating, but they'd done pretty much everything else. Sasuke knew some about Naruto's past and Naruto knew that he was deliberately taking his time in pulling his shirt over his head for that reason exactly. When Naruto's shirt finally was off he held still with his eyes closed while Sasuke looked at him. He knew it wasn't exactly a pretty sight, but he felt better when Sasuke kissed him again and moaned as he pulled off his own shirt. They were skin to skin now and Sasuke gave Naruto a moment to look. His skin was practically flawless. Naruto wished his own was at least similar. Naruto wasn't sure which he was more afraid of, Sasuke taking off his pants or Naruto's. He didn't really have time to worry about it because Sasuke took off his own pants, standing in only his boxers now. He'd somehow removed his shoes and socks as well. He'd also, Naruto realized, laid out both of their sweaters - that they'd had tied around their waists just in case - on the ground as a kind of cushion between them and the ground. Was he really so dazed that he didn't notice actions that took place right in front of him? Yes. Naruto was terrified now.

"Sasuke," he whimpered. Sasuke wrapped his arms around him reassuringly and kissed him slowly, tenderly.

"We don't have to if you don't want to," he said huskily.

Naruto took a deep, shuddering breath. "I do want to," he mumbled as he clung to Sasuke. The raven took of Naruto's pants and boxers in one fluid movement, standing up to wrap his arms around him again as he tried to stop Naruto's trembling. Naruto was pretty sure an earthquake had hit, he was shaking so hard. The whole world seemed to be shaking before his eyes. Sasuke took off his own boxers quickly and forced Naruto to look into his eyes. Naruto started to calm slightly, his constant trembling becoming small tremors.

"Let me take care of you Naruto. I've got you. You're safe with me," he said sweetly before dragging Naruto to the ground. Naruto was vaguely aware that Sasuke was lubing himself up. When did he get that? But then he couldn't think anymore because Sasuke was sliding a finger inside of him. He whimpered at the feeling he remembered so well, but realized that it didn't hurt. Sasuke was being especially gentle. Another finger slid in and Naruto squirmed. All too soon his fingers were gone and Sasuke's mouth was on his, kissing him roughly to distract him from the fact that he was swiftly entering him. Naruto felt himself stretch, and it was slightly painful because he was still healing in some ways, but it started to feel really good, really fast. Sasuke hit something inside him and he gasped as his whole body tingled. He felt him pull almost all the way out and then thrust back in to the hilt and it seemed to emphasize the fact that Sasuke was _big_! He'd somewhat known that before now, but he hadn't thought about what it meant as far as their sex life. He made up his mind to measure him when they got home. He was glad Sasuke didn't want to bottom; Naruto had never had a desire to top. As a matter of fact, the idea bothered him a little. He wondered why he couldn't stop thinking and then - holy shit! - he was arching into every thrust as something inside him wound itself tighter and tighter as though preparing to spring. He felt his cock twitching and he dug his nails into Sasuke's back. Sasuke groaned and pounded into him harder.

"Faster Sasuke!" Naruto cried as he lifted his hips to try and take him deeper. Sasuke did as he asked and in no time at all Naruto was exploding. He'd never felt so good in his life! It took him a while to regain his senses and when he did he felt Sasuke's weight on him. It was very comforting. He wrapped his arms and legs tightly around Sasuke and kissed his shoulder, buried his face in his neck. He smelled so good.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke inquired gently.

"Yes. Are you?" Naruto asked teasingly, grinning like an idiot.

"Of course I am. That was amazing Naruto."

Naruto blushed. "That was the first time I've ever felt anything like that before," he admitted.

Sasuke nodded against his hair. "Neither have I," he whispered. They laid there for a moment before Sasuke attempted to pull out. Naruto cried out in protest and did everything possible to thwart his attempts. They were both laughing by the time Sasuke was able to slip out. "What was that about?"

Naruto turned on his side, not sure what to say. What _was_ that about? "It... I don't know how to explain it. The thought of you leaving me hurts, I guess. I feel so connected to you like that." He was blushing uncontrolably again.

"Just because we're not close like that doesn't mean I'm leaving you Naruto," Sasuke murmured, kissing his nose affectionately.

"I know. It's stupid. Forget about it," he grumbled.

Sasuke laughed. "It's not stupid. I understand. We'll just have to work on it, that's all." Naruto nodded and held Sasuke tightly against him again. Sasuke stroked his shoulders, chest, face and hair until Naruto was ready to let go. Naruto was embarrassed when cum dripped down his leg, but he just got dressed as quickly as he could. When they got back to his place he looked straight at his bedroom wall as he asked Sasuke the one thing he'd been wanting to know since they'd headed back.

"Do you want to take a shower?" He tried to keep the heat from rising to his cheeks, but it was a losing battle. Sasuke took his hand and led him into the bathroom. He once again stripped them both before turning the water on. Sasuke got in first. Naruto, out of habit, flushed the toilet and waited for the water pressure to return to normal before he got in. He yelped and almost jumped back out. "That's cold!" he hissed, huddling away from the spray.

Sasuke looked at him in surprise. It feels warm to me," he said, sounding confused.

Naruto glanced at the setting and realized that to most people that actually would feel warm. He shivered and pouted. "Maybe to you," he retorted.

"Why don't you adjust it to what makes you feel good?" Sasuke offered. Naruto gratefully cranked it up. He sighed as the spray hit him.

"That feels better," he sighed. Sasuke curiously stuck his hand out and pulled it back quickly, hissing in pain.

"What is wrong with you? That's way too hot! Look! you're turning red!" he shouted in exasperation.

"Well you obviously don't like feeling clean," Naruto quipped.

"I don't have to scorch my skin off to feel clean!" Sasuke growled. Naruto wondered if they were fighting. Sasuke seemed to be thinking along t he same lines. He sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be one to judge. Why don't you wash up real quick and then I'll turn it back to something I can stand and finish up while you get dressed?"

Naruto smiled slightly. "Okay. I'll be quick, just give me one second." He really was done much more quickly than most people. Sasuke took a little while longer getting washed. They went into his room and listened to some music while they did their homework together.

Naruto went down to Gaara's after school on Monday. Sasuke had a dental appointment so he wouldn't be coming over today. Naruto pulled Gaara aside and shuffled his feet nervously. "I had sex with Sasuke," he blurted. Gaara just gaped at him. "I know! But it just felt so right at the time, and he really is so sweet when we're alone. What do I do? I don't know how long I can go before I snap if I have to watch his stupid fangirls trying to get his attention at school all the time!"

"Well, if you guys are really that serious then you need to tell him that you're going to go public, or you're not going to go at all," Gaara said, still shocked.

"But, what if he decides on the latter?" Naruto whispered, the idea killing him.

"Then he's not worth it," Gaara said gently, rubbing Naruto's arm comfortingly. Naruto tried not to cry, but the idea of Sasuke going that far only to pull back completely hurt beyond belief. He knew that he shed a few silent tears and that Gaara dutifully ignored them. What was he going to say to Sasuke when he called him tonight? He spent hours riding Kaze, hoping to keep his mind off of things. He was extremely nervous when he went home and waited for Sasuke's call. His phone ringing nearly made him jump out of his skin. He snatched it up and answered it before the second ring.

"Hello Naruto," Sasuke practically purred into the phone.

"Hey Sasuke," Naruto forced out nervously.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked, suddenly sounding serious. Naruto was almost touched by how quickly he caught on that there was something wrong with him.

"Well, I was just thinking... about Saturday and all..." He swallowed, unsure of how to proceed.

"That's definitely a pleasant memory," Sasuke said slowly, his voice speaking volumes. "What does this have to do with...?"

Naruto took a deep breath. "I think we should make our relationship public. And by public, I mean at school," he rushed out.

There was a lengthy pause on the other end of the line before, "Don't ever scare me like that again. I thought you were going to say that you regretted it, or that you were breaking up with me!" Sasuke exclaimed, his voice dripping with relief.

"R-really?" Naruto stuttered in surprise; surprise that Sasuke would be worried about that, and surprise that he didn't seem to mind what he'd suggested.

"Yeah. And I'm okay with that. As long as we tell Kakashi, Iruka and Itachi as well. I don't want them to hear it from someone else."

He'd agreed? Naruto suddenly felt giddy. "Deal," he said, immensely happy. "So how'd the checkup go?" he asked, much more relaxed than he had been all day.

"Perfect. Absolutely nothing wrong with my teeth," he bragged.

"Good. So, should I wait to tell them until you're here?" he asked.

"Yeah. And you can come over to my place on Wednesday and we'll tell Itachi."

Naruto froze. "I can come over?" he asked, sure that he'd misunderstood.

"Yeah. If you don't mind?" Sasuke said, sounding unsure.

"Don't you mind?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"No. Why would I mind?" Sasuke asked.

"You said you don't let people come to your place," Naruto reminded him.

"You're different now. You're my boyfriend. Why would I want to keep you away?" His tone implied a 'duh' at the end.

"Sasuke..." Naruto whispered.

"Naruto, I know you don't usually know what to do in a relationship, but just relax and be yourself with me, okay? What's mine is yours while we're together. Understand?"

"Yeah. I got it," he said quietly. He suddenly felt very, very warm and fuzzy inside.

**I know it's a little shorter than usual, but that's all I wanted to cover in this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it anyways.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**The title of this chapter will be explained later on and no joke, it came from a real conversation I had. Don't judge me, my mind is weird. Rated MA, just to be safe, but it's not very detailed. **

**Chapter Fifteen - The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow.**

"Kakashi, Iruka. We need to tell you something," Sasuke was saying. Naruto was staring determinedly at the wall.

"That you guys are going out, or that you're having sex?" Iruka asked without looking at them. He just calmly took a sip of his coffee. Kakashi continued to read the paper. Naruto, on the other hand, was gaping at them while Sasuke was shifting uncomfortably next to him.

"How did you know?" he practically screeched.

"You just told us," Kakashi said lazily. Naruto blushed furiously.

"You mean you didn't know for sure?" Naruto asked, feeling stupid for owning up to it.

"Well, we suspected, but we weren't positive. You just confirmed it. It was bound to happen sometime," Iruka explained, finally glancing up at him and smiling. "Don't act so guilty. You're almost sixteen and we trust your judgement. We like Sasuke, and we knew before you did that you liked him too. So chill."

"That being said," Kakashi said, folding his newspaper up and looking straight at Sasuke. "If you hurt our boy, you'll be sorry. That's all I have to say." Sasuke nodded vigorously. "Now, why don't we get going before you two are late to school."

"That went better than I thought," Sasuke said happily.

"That was humiliating," Naruto moaned. Everyone laughed at him.

"So? How'd it go?" Gaara asked as he met him at his locker. He knew that Naruto had been trying to speed things up a little.

"He agreed to come over this morning and tell them, and then I get to come over after school today instead of tomorrow so we can tell Itachi. And then we're announcing it at lunch today, before he goes to fourth period. You'll be able to be there too, right?" Naruto asked nervously.

"You bet. Glad it worked out. So, what did your parents say?" Gaara asked eagerly.

Naruto liked the sound of that. His parents. He decided to start calling them that. He flushed when he thought about the rest of the question though. "Well, they kind of psyched us out. They made it seem like they already knew and I admitted to it like an idiot."

"Weren't you going to tell them anyways? I thought that was the whole point?" Gaara asked, clearly confused.

Naruto knew his face was the same color as the shirt he was wearing today. "Yeah, but I wasn't going to tell them we're having sex. At least not yet."

Gaara's face was priceless before he started laughing so hard he cried. "That's great. They made you admit to doing the dirty! How'd they take that?"

"Surprisingly well. Said they already suspected both things and that they were happy and we should relax. Then Kakashi made a small threat that Sasuke would be sorry if he ever hurt me and that was that. Then everyone laughed at me for being embarrassed."

Gaara laughed again. "Hey. Isn't that Sasuke's jacket?" he asked suddenly.

"Yeah. We figured people would start to catch on throughout the day and then when our friends at lunch tell their friends and so on and so forth then everyone will be more likely to believe it," Naruto said, not wanting to admit how on top of the world he felt about wearing Sasuke's jacket.

"Yeah. Have fun with that," Gaara said with a grin and then ran off to first. Naruto made his way there with his orange backpack and sat next to Sasuke. Sasuke scooted their stools closer together and pulled Naruto against him so that he was pretty much sitting in his lap. Kiba's eyes bugged out. Naruto would have blushed if it weren't for the happy smile on Sasuke's face. He did blush when Sasuke leaned down and kissed him. He saw Choji in the front of the room gawking at him and even Gai seemed to be staring. Great, so now all of the faculty would know too. Sasuke just grinned impishly at him. Kiba kept throwing him notes throughout class asking him what was going on and how long had they been together and all the usual questions. Naruto answered all of his question, except about the sex anyways, and Gai politely ignored their very obvious note passing the entire time, sending them embarrassing looks that made Choji crack up. Sasuke kissed him goodbye as they walked out of the class.

"See you soon," He said happily.

"You know," Gaara said as he sat down next to Naruto. "I'm glad you told me how it went with your parents, because I might be in the same situation here soon. I really don't want to lie to my dad when I start having sex."

Naruto choked on his own spit. "What? Who?" Naruto gasped in surprise.

Gaara blushed as red as his hair. "Neji," he mumbled.

"Wow. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wasn't sure if he was just screwing with me or not, but I trust him now and I wanted you to know that I'm in the same boat pretty much."

"Have you guys done it already?" Naruto asked curiously.

"No. But, I'm kind of planning too today since I'm not walking home with you..." He didn't look at Naruto as he said this.

"Wow. Well, uh, good luck and have fun I guess," Naruto said awkwardly.

"Thanks," he mumbled. Deidara came in and grinned at Naruto. "Uh-oh. The teachers are already gossiping," Gaara whispered to him. Naruto laid his head down on his desk when he saw Ino turn around to look at him curiously. After class Deidara called him up.

"So. I hear you've got yourself a boyfriend," he said cheerfully.

"Word travels fast," Naruto replied, shuffling his feet.

"Don't sweat it. Gai told me because he knows I know you. I talk about you a little to Sasori in the teacher's lounge. So the only ones who know so far are Gai, Sasori and me. Of course, Gai might blab a little, but Sasori and I will keep our mouths shut," he said encouragingly.

"That's good I guess. Why do you talk about me to Sasori? Are you guys friends?"

"We're married. Well, at least as married as we can be."

"Oh. Congratulations," Naruto said with a smile.

"Thanks. Anyways, good luck. I hope everything works out between you two."

"Thank you. Well, see you later." He hurried off to third. No sooner had he sat down than Shikamaru was raising his eyebrows at him. "Thanks Choji," he muttered.

"Don't mention it," he replied, ignoring the sarcasm.

"So, you and Sasuke, huh?" Shikamaru inquired.

"Yeah, yeah. Sasuke and I are together."

"You've had sex. You have that guilty pleasure look on your face," Shikamaru said in surprise, sitting up straighter.

"Why does everyone know that?! Did someone pin a sign to my back when I wasn't looking?" he practically shouted. He saw Sasuke raise his eyebrow on the other side of the room.

The two boys next to him were laughing their butts off. "No. You just aren't very good at hiding it," Shikamaru finally said. Naruto fumed. All of a sudden a little notebook landed on his desk. He jumped in surprise. It was about as big as a stamp, maybe slightly bigger, and it had Frankenstein's monster on it. He opened it curiously.

_'What was that about?'_ The writing was small, but he recognized it as Sasuke's from all of the time they'd spent on their projects. He scribbled a message back.

_'Shikamaru figured out we had sex. I'm just wondering how everyone seems to know. Why aren't we just texting?'_ He waited until Asuma had his back turned and then threw it to him. Sasuke grinned and wrote back before tossing it casually back to him when the teacher's back was turned.

_'Because this is more fun. And that's pretty funny. I bet half the school is wondering that by now.'_ Naruto groaned. And so the rest of the class passed with them throwing a miniscule notebook back and forth to each other. Sasuke, Gaara and Kiba all had fourth period, which meant that they wouldn't be there that long. All of them had B lunch though, which meant it was after third period, so they'd at least be there long enough for him to spend some time with Sasuke. People with A lunch went before third period and their class started later. Naruto sat down grumpily.

"Since Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba and Gaara already know I'm going to assume that Kiba told Shino and Hinata, Choji probably told Ino who in turn told Ten-Ten, Gaara told Neji who turned around and told Lee which means that no one at this table doesn't know and please let me eat my lunch before you start harassing me." Sasuke laughed behind him before taking his own seat a little awkwardly. Gaara sat on his other side and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"You guys have had sex," Neji stated calmly. Naruto banged his head on the table.

"Yes, we have. Why don't we just post flyers in case there's anyone in this world who _doesn't_ know!" he growled frustratedly. Even Sasuke was doing belly laughs at this one and he couldn't keep his lips from twitching up into a smile by the time they were done. He wasn't really that embarrassed that people knew, he just didn't want it to get around so that people started calling him a manwhore or anything. He walked eagerly with Sasuke after school to his place. He wanted to see the inside.

"You've already seen it, why are you so excited?" Sasuke asked bemusedly.

"Because I haven't been inside of it!" Naruto said. Sasuke smiled. When they finally got there and Sasuke unlocked the door Naruto walked in and looked in every direction, soaking up the details. He dropped his backpack on the floor in the kitchen and Sasuke came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. They walked like that while the raven gave him a tour and then they reached Sasuke's room.

"And this is my room," he murmured just as he started kissing Naruto's neck. Naruto felt himself get heated up at the kiss and he laid his head back on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke abused his neck completely before turning him around and capturing his mouth in a kiss. He took his own shirt off and pushed Naruto onto his bed. He pulled the collar of Naruto's shirt down as far as it would go and trailed warm kisses all over the exposed skin, He pulled the blond's pants off while Naruto worked on Sasuke's remaining clothing. Sasuke stroked his legs, kneading the muscles there. He flipped him over and pulled Naruto's boxers off, pushed his shirt up. "You really do have a nice ass you know," he whispered huskily.

Naruto moaned. He raised said ass up and heard Sasuke suck in his breath. It didn't take long for things to progress. As they lay there in the afterglow Naruto started singing, "The sun'll come out tomorrow, bet you're bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun."

Sasuke snorted in suprirsed laughter. "Where did that come from?" His warm breath washed over the shoulder he was laying on and Naruto hummed in pleasure.

"You don't want to know," he replied as he hummed the song some more.

"Oh yes I do," Sasuke protested.

Naruto sighed. "Fine. But I warned you. I was just thinking about how you're still kind of hard, then I thought about the fact that a dead man can stay hard for up to seventy-two hours because that's just a random fact I happen to know. That got me wondering if Frankenstein's monster could have sex. While pondering that I started thinking about Igor. In Igor Eva starts singing that song, so I got the sudden urge to sing it and tada, I started singing The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow. Happy now?"

Sasuke leaned over so that Naruto could see his face and made a production of blinking. "That's disturbing," he informed him. Naruto laughed so hard that Sasuke slipped out which caused him to groan resulting in Sasuke's laughter. They heard the front door shut just as they finished cleaning off and Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Better get dressed and put your game face on. It's time to go tell Itachi." Naruto nodded and quickly donned his garments before turning to Sasuke and taking a deep breath. He could do this. Right? Sasuke grinned and dragged him out of the room.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Rated MA. **

**Chapter Sixteen - Told You So.**

"Told you so," was Itachi's response to their announcement.

Naruto turned to Sasuke. "He did kind of tell me, I just didn't know what he meant at the time."

Sasuke nodded. "He likes to talk in riddles like that. It's like an epiphany when you realize what he meant."

"It's not nice to talk about people in front of them," Itachi said, his tone saying he didn't care.

"It's nicer to do it to their face than behind their back," Naruto countered easily.

"That is true," Sasuke agreed. "Hey Itachi? What's for dinner? I'm starving."

"I was thinking tacos. Any objections?"

"What's a taco?" Naruto asked curiously. Sasuke was looking at him like he'd grown two heads. Even Itachi looked a little perturbed. "What?"

"You've never had a taco?" Sasuke asked incredulously.

"No. I'm sorry. Is that a bad thing?" he replied feeling ridiculed.

"Itachi make those tacos," Sasuke instructed. Itachi nodded and turned to defrost the hamburger meat. "I didn't mean to to embarrass you," Sasuke murmured apologetically as he wrapped his arm around Naruto's shoulders. "It's just that you're missing out, that's all." Naruto nodded and leaned into the embrace.

"Naruto. I don't mind if you want to stay the night," Itachi said. Both boys were startled.

"Really?" Naruto querried, shooting a glance at a confused Sasuke.

"Yeah. As long as you guys the, ah, activities quiet. I do have to work tomorrow."

Naruto wasn't the only one blushing this time. Why did everyone know? "Okay. I guess I'll call Kakashi and Iruka, see if they're okay with that," Naruto told Sasuke. He dialled Kakashi's cell number.

"Hey Naruto. Need a ride home?" he answered.

"No. Actually... Well, I was just wondering... if I could spend the night? Itachi says it's okay." He held his breath as he waited for an explosion.

"Hang on." Naruto heard a noise that sounded like the phone was being muffled against a shirt. "Iruka doesn't object and I don't have a problem with it. Have fun. We'll see you after school tomorrow."

"Goodnight Naruto!" could be heard in the background.

"Goodnight Iruka. Night Kakashi," he mumbled.

"Night Naruto." The connection was ended.

"They said I can stay," he informed them.

"Wonderful," Itachi responded.

Sasuke kissed him. "Great. Let's go watch tv. You can pick what we watch."

"Okay. I like tv. There's this one show that comes on all the time about a lady who works with bones. My favorite episode is the one where you find out she's a foster kid."

"Oh yeah. I watch that a lot too. It comes on in fifteen minutes. Is that what you want to watch?"

"Yes please." He smiled at him. He didn't realize what exactly having fifteen minutes to kill entailed. He wasn't expecting to find himself on Sasuke's lap being kissed until his legs turned to jelly. They watched the show and Naruto pigged out on the tacos when they turned out to be delicious. Itachi went to his room after dinner. Naruto and Sasuke watched tv until eleven then went to their room and cuddled. Sasuke stripped down to his boxers. Naruto shook his head and pushed those down too. Sasuke gave him a questioning look. "Itachi won't bother us I'm sure. I, well, I don't want anything between us," he explained. The raven just shrugged and climbed into bed. Naruto stripped quickly and joined him.

"Why are you so self conscious?" Sasuke prodded gently.

"I know I look like a science experiment. And I'm quite a bit underweight. It's not a pretty sight, even I can admit that. Wouldn't you be a little low on self esteem if you were in my position?"

"I guess I might. I can't really say because I'm not. But I can say that you're sexy as hell and you shouldn't worry so much." He kissed his neck and nibbled a little before pulling back to look at him. "I like not having any barriers between us," he told Naruto.

"Me too. And you shouldn't say things like that, they just make me feel worse."

"Why?" Sasuke asked in surprise.

"Because I have to wonder if it's true. And besides, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While you might find nothing wrong with my appearance, you could be the only one in the whole world who thinks that."

"I never thought about it that way. I guess that makes sense, but I still have an opinion and would like to voice it on occasion. Sorry."

Naruto sighed. "I suppose I gave you that right when we started this, didn't I?"

"Yep," he agreed cheerfully. "So you know, you are in a therapist's house. You could pretend I'm the therapist and talk to me about your past a little," Sasuke tried.

Naruto bit his lip. He'd already told him that he'd been sexually abused. He hadn't gone into detail though. He'd elaborated on some of the physical abuse, but that wasn't quite as hard to talk about. He chewed on his lip until he realized what he was doing and then he forced himself to stop. "You won't like the details Sasuke. I know you won't."

"Tell me anyway. I don't like a lot of things, but I want to know what made you who you are. Please?" He held him closer and Naruto snuggled up, unknowingly wiggling his butt against Sasuke's little friend. He blushed when he felt Sasuke pull his hips back a little bit. "I don't think getting quite so close for this topic would be good. I don't want you to get scared while you're reliving that stuff."

Naruto nodded. "Thanks," he managed to choke out. The very thought of being afraid of Sasuke hurt him, but he knew it actually was a possibility. "What do you want to know?"

"You've already told me about the normal abuse. I want to know about the rest. Let's start with the basics. How many people sexually assaulted you?" he asked softly.

"Um, I don't know. It's between seven and three."

Sasuke leaned over his shoulder and quirked a brow at him. "Um, Naruto? That doesn't make any sense. How can it be between two different numbers?"

"I only actually said no to three of them. The other four were just unpleasant experiences."

There was a moment of silence. "Why don't you start with the unpleasant experiences and then work your way up."

"Okay. Um, the first one was in my first home. I was five when it starte and six when I finally told my mom. It was their best friend, especially my dad's, so no one suspected anything. I went to court when I was seven and he got twenty-four years in jail. I got very embarrassing pictures taken so that my lawyer knew for certain that he'd never raped me."

"What did he do to you Naruto?" The question was unbelievably gentle, but it made him nervous nonetheless.

He licked his lips. "The first few times I saw him, nothing. I was afraid of him, but I didn't know why. Then one day I was left alone with him. He just touched me."

"And after that? What happened next time Naruto?"

Naruto gulped. "He, um, used his mouth on me..."

"How many times did that happen?"

"I don't remember. I can remember certain parts, but not all of it. It bothers me, but what can you do?"

"Just let it come to you in time I guess. Is that all that happened with him? I'm kind of hoping the answer is yes."

"No. He made me touch him once. It was very... bloody."

"Bloody?" Sasuke voice had taken on a new note, one Naruto didn't want to analyze.

"He had scabs and stuff on it, and some of them were leaking, especially when he forced my hand to move up and down."

"Naruto I'm so sorry. Did you tell your parents after that? Why didn't you tell before that?"

"I didn't tell immediately after that, no. And I didn't tell because he told me he loved me."

Sasuke's arms tightened around him. "At that point in your life you were willing to take love anywhere you could find it. I'm so sorry. When did you finally tell? Did he try...?"

"No. I saw him looking at my two year old sister and I panicked. I didn't want him to do that to her. For one thing she was too young, but for another it already made me feel bad about myself and I didn't want it to mess her up for life. I was terrified that he'd turn to her for his entertainment. I told my mom that minute. You have no idea how humiliating and paiful it was to have everyone find out what I'd done. I was a filthy, disgusting person and now even the person who did things like that in the first place didn't love me anymore. It was a bad year for me."

"Naruto, you weren't filthy or disgusting. And he only loved you in a twisted way. Losing his love was the best thing that could have happened to you." Naruto shrugged jerkily. "So you don't consider that one because you never told him no? I'm almost afraid to hear the ones you did say no to," he whispered.

Naruto got really nervous. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No. Please keep going," Sasuke murmured, kissing his shoulder.

"The other three that I'm not too sure on all happened in the same house," he warned. Sasuke just stroked his arm tenderly. "The father in that house jerked off to porn in front of me for five hours, then he slept naked next to me. He didn't do anything _to_ me though, so it wasn't so bad. The weirdest thing he did was he liked to kiss me goodbye. On the lips. Then there was his girlfriend's daughter and her boyfriend Mizuki. They were making out in front of me and she called me over. That night they had sex in front of me, they both made out with me, he sucked on my nipples, I sucked on her nipples, she marked me up all over my neck and chest and he told her he wanted to have sex with me next. She kicked him out before that could happen thankfully."

"How old were you Naruto? And how old were they?"

"I was thirteen and they were twenty-one."

"That's horrible," Sasuke growled.

"It wasn't that bad. I could have been the one in the middle..."

"Don't think like that. There's no reason to make it worse than it was," Sasuke said sharply. He was quiet for a moment. "Sorry. I just hate what you've been through and I already know I'm really going to hate the rest. I just need to know." He took a deep breath. "Alright. On to the worst three."

Naruto wasn't ready for this. Then again, would he ever really be ready for this? He'd told Itachi yeah, but that was an impersonal encounter. They hadn't been lying naked in each other's arms after having been intimate a few hours before. He closed his eyes and made himself speak. "The first one I actually count also did it while I was in that house. It was in between the first and second incident. The daughter, Karin, had a different boyfriend and he had a roomate. We met while I was tipsy one night and things progressed at Karin's son's birthday party. A few nights later both men snuck in through our window. I was a little confused as to what was happening, but Karin told him she'd kill him if things went below our pants. We just made out and then he used his mouth on my chest a little. Karin and her boyfriend moved to the living room before they actually started having sex and that's when it went wrong. He told me he wanted to do me and I freaked. He said if he didn't get to have me then he at least wanted a blow job. I tried to tell him no, but opening my mouth gave him an opportunity to move in. It was over before I could kickstart my brain enough to figure out how to get him off of me."

Sasuke was slowly squeezing him to death. He only came to that conclusion when he found he was having trouble breathing. He wriggled a little and the raven loosened his hold. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Um, the next ones are kind of hard for me to talk about. It was less than a year ago that I got out of there and it's still really fresh. So, um, try not to hold too tight okay? I have a tendancy to become claustrophobic."

"Okay. Just take it as slowly as you need to."

He was thankful for the way Sasuke was handling things. "I went to my next home almost immediately. I had just turned fifteen when they placed me there. It was just the two of them and I wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Turns out it was bad. The woman was a nurse and a drug addict which meant she was high all the time. The man was an abusive drunk and he didn't work. At first he just beat me in front of her while she got high, but it excalated very quickly. I already told you a lot about what they did to me as far as the torture went, but I left out quite a bit in between. About three weeks into my stay I woke up tied to a bed... with him inside me. The more I begged him to stop the worse it got, so eventually I just stopped begging. He liked the bondage stuff, but it made me less mobile, so he didn't do it often. Usually he just doped me up in either my food or drinks and I was too out of it to defend myself. It didn't dull what he was doing to me though. I used to wish it would, but it never did. About three months after the first time it happened his wife caught him. I thought that would be the end of it. She'd never bothered me before, so I had no idea that she was even worse than he was. You can imagine how horrified I was when she said she wanted in. After she joined the party toys got involved on a regular basis. They didn't even have to be real toys, sometimes it was just things she found around the house, but her favorite was her strap-on. It was the biggest thing I've ever seen that resembles that particular part of the anatomy. And she really liked knives..." His voice trailed off there. He didn't want to fully admit to that one. He knew that Sasuke had made the connection though by the way he was becoming rigid against his back.

"You mean she used a knife to...?" he asked in a disgusted voice. Naruto barely moved his head, but he knew Sasuke had caught the movement. Yes. As much as he wished otherwise the answer was yes. "I hate those people and hope they rot in jail," Sasuke hissed.

Naruto murmured, "I want to see your face right now, but I'm afraid it would frighten me."

"Look at me Naruto," Sasuke urged, his voice calm. Naruto stiffly turned around so that he was facing him. His face showed only concern. "I'm sorry for getting so worked up. I feel helpless because there's no way for me to go back and change what happened and I wish that it hadn't ever happened in the first place. You didn't deserve any of that. Frankly I'm surprised you ever let me touch you and it's very humbling to be close to you. I'm in no way angry at you, or disappointed in you. Don't ever forget any of that, okay?" His eyes showed nothing but sincerity. Naruto kissed him for being so sweet.

"Thank you. Can we stop talking about my past now?"

"Of course. Thank you for telling me." Naruto snuggled into Sasuke's warm embrace and felt better about himself than he had in a very long time.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Just out of curiousity, does anyone know how to use aff? I can't figure out how to add anything... Also, I will be editing this story once it's done and fixing the timeline, so just bear with me. **

**Chapter Seventeen - Confused.**

Naruto was surprised at how quickly Sasuke had settled into his life. The pale boy seemed to have no trouble sitting with him at lunch; he even made polite conversation with the others on a regular basis. They stayed over at each other's houses pretty frequently. They had gone through a humping like rabbits phase, but they'd mellowed out fairly quickly. Their re-enactment in history about the Plessy vs. Ferguson case in 1896 had gone off without a hitch. They'd pretty much perfected their skit for Spanish, a restaurant skit, and they were working on their rough draft for physics because it was due when they turned in their mid-term. Naruto had one week to go until he turned sixteen. He was very excited. He'd been with Sasuke for a little over a month now and things were going unbelievably great. He kept looking over his shoulder because things were never this good. Never. "So, I was wondering if you wanted to meet my friend Yahiko today?" Sasuke asked him as they ate lunch.

"Sure. I have to work first though. When is he coming over?" Naruto asked happily. Sasuke had talked a few times about this guy and he was anxious to meet him.

"Around five. He'll be there until seven or eight though, so you don't have to rush," he replied.

"Alright. I'll probably try to be there around six thirty. I'll see if Suigetsu can give me a ride." Sasuke just nodded and went back to eating. Naruto walked home with Gaara and Sasuke went to his own house after school. Naruto hated being away from him, but he knew they both needed breaks from each other if they wanted everything to work out. "I'ts been a while since it was just the two of us. How are things with Neji?"

Gaara blushed a little. "As active as ever. My dad took the news surprisingly well. My sister not so much. She's practically salivating to meet him. I'm not looking forward to thanksgiving. Shikamaru is though."

"I can imagine. They haven't seen each other since just before school started. I really admire them. He's moving out during winter break, right?"

"Yeah, since he's graduating early." They walked in silence for a little while. "So are you nervous to meet this guy?"

"Nah. Excited, but not nervous. I know there's never been anything between him and Sasuke. Sasuke told me very adamantly that nothing had ever happened between them and they were just friends. He's really careful not to make me insecure. It's kind of nice."

"I'm glad it's working out for you."

"Same." He enjoyed seeing Kaze though he didn't know why he was still working there. He had a feeling that they wanted him to compete with Kaze here in the near future, but they hadn't actually said anything and Kaze was much friendlier these days. He didn't mind though because he loved his job. Suigetsu had agreed to take him and came to get him around six. He was going to be a little early, but he was sure that was okay.

"Have fun," Suigetsu said with a smile as they pulled up to Sasuke's place.

"Thanks. See you later." He walked quickly up to the house and opened the front door. A man who looked really familiar was in the kitchen raiding the fridge. "Dr. Yahiko? I didn't know he was talking about you all this time!" he exclaimed in surprise.

The orange haired guy turned around to look at him in surprise. "Naruto! Wow. I didn't make the connection either. It's nice to see you again. How have you been?"

"Much better, thanks. Wow. There's no way you're young enough to be Sasuke's friend, but old enough to be a doctor." He was very confused.

"Well, I'm actually in Itachi's age range, but Sasuke and I have always gotten along better. Sasuke likes to associate with people who are older than him. He tells me you're the same way."

"Yeah. I seem to fit in better with adults. I'm still a little surprised that Sasuke's friends with a doctor. He hates shots and the two seem to go hand in hand in his mind."

Yahiko laughed. "That's true. I've never been his doctor though, so he is able to cope. Come on, let's go join him in the room. I brought my roomate's kid with me. She knows him from the few times he's come over and she missed him. Her name is Matsuri." They walked to Sasuke's bedroom door and Yahiko pushed it open. Naruto's heart leapt into his throat. Sasuke was on his back on the bed with some girl on top of him and they were kissing. Yahiko looked stunned. Naruto felt something constrict painfully in his chest and he went running back outside. He didn't stop at the end of the driveway, instead he kept going as fast as he could aiming for a certain place that he'd grown attached to. He didn't care that he'd probably looked like a heartbroken idiot when he'd run out of the house. He didn't care that tears were currently streaming down his cheeks. He just wanted to get to that place that always made him feel better. And then he was there and collapsed to his knees and let out a harsh sob. Why was Sasuke kissing someone else? Why had that girl been on top of him? He knew that if he could just calm down and think about it he would be able to come up with a rational explanation, but right now he could only focus on the pain that was growing in his chest.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he swung around to find Suigetsu crouching beside him. He didn't think, he just acted on impulse because he wanted comfort. He pressed his lips to the older boys and leaned against him. Suigetsu froze and then gently pulled away. "Naruto..." he started quietly, but naruto didn't want to hear it.

"I've always had a thing for you. Even before we were taken away from Tsunade and Jiraiya," he mumbled, not looking at him.

"That may be so, but you love Sasuke and you'll regret this later if I let you go any farther. I'm sorry."

"Sasuke..." Naruto started, trying to decide what he was going to say. Suigetsu cut him off.

"Sasuke called me. He told me what happened, told me where he thougth I could find you. He asked me to come keep an eye on you until he could make it over here. Think Naruto. Would Sasuke do that to you? Do you really believe that?"

Naruto bit his lip, but he'd calmed down enough since Suigetsu had made an appearnce that he was able to really think about it. "No. He wouldn't do that to me. Even if he was cheating on me he wouldn't have invited me over to see it. And I don't think he would cheat on me. It's always a possibility, but I just don't get that kind of vibe from him." He sighed. "I felt so confused. I knew I needed to calm down and think rationally, but for some reason I couldn't do it. It just hurt too much. A part of me knew that it wasn't what it looked like, but a bigger part of me just wanted to get away. And then when you showed up... I was hurting and I wanted you to make it go away." He sighed. "I messed things up, didn't I?"

Suigetsu was about to say something when another voice cut in. "No. You haven't messed anything up," Sasuke said quietly. "I know you didn't do it on purpose. You were just hurting and acted without thinking." Naruto looked up in surprise at the figure that stood only a few yards away.

Suigetsu got up. "I'll leave you two alone now. Thanks for calling Sasuke." He walked out of the little clearing.

Sasuke came to sit next to him. "Naruto, what you saw-"

"I know. I'm sorry. I overreacted. It's just that my life is never this easy and it seems like something should have gone wrong by now, so when I saw her kissing you I just panicked. I'm in the wrong here, not you. I know you didn't kiss her willingly." He felt Sasuke's arms wrap around him and he leaned into them.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I would have told you anyway, but I wish you didn't have to witness it. I know how low your self esteem is. I'm sorry Naruto."

"I know Yahiko," Naruto said, changing the subject.

"Really?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah. He's the one who patched me up after our first day of school."

"Oh. I didn't know that."

"I didn't either until I saw him in the kitchen. I was surprised to say the least." They sat there for a few more minutes.

"Yahiko took Matsuri home so that her mother could deal with her behavior. She's really sorry, but I can promise you she won't be coming over again. Want to go back?" Naruto nodded shakily and allowed Sasuke to pull him to his feet. They walked slowly back to the raven's house. It wasn't until they reached his bedroom that something Suigetsu had said floated back to him. _You love Sasuke and you'll regret this later..._ He fell onto the bed, shocked. Did he love Sasuke? How could Suigetsu possible know that? Was there really a chance that this was love? What was he going to do if it was? There was always a very real chance that he could get taken away, or that Sasuke would break up with him. If he loved him that would just hurt worse. Then again, considering how he'd reacted today... Oh shit. He loved the teme. He groaned. "What's wrong?" Sasuke asked as he joined him on the bed and pushed him down so that they were spooning.

"Nothing. Just thinking too much, as always." He didn't say anything for a moment. "Sasuke? Will you make love to me?" He held his breath. It was the first time he'd ever actually asked him to. He let his breath out in a rush when he felt Sasuke lips on his neck.

"Sure."

When Naruto got home he was completely worn out from the emotional roller coaster he'd been on that day. The revelation that he loved Sasuke had been the biggest loop. He was surprised to see Iruka and Kakashi standing in the living room waiting for him. He gave them a questioning look. Kakashi was holding Iruka from behind, but he was staring at Naruto intently from his place on Iruka's shoulder. Iruka looked nervous. "Is something wrong?" Naruto asked with a sinking feeling. They were sending him back. Just when everything was going perfectly...

"Naruto, we know you're turning sixteen soon," Iruka started. Where was he going with this? He was so confused. "Well, we've been trying to decide what to get you and we've come to a conclusion. You have two choices. We can take you down to the court house and help you get emancipated, or we can adopt you..." Iruka was wringing his hands nervously. Naruto felt floored. Today was just too much. The universe was trying to kill him. He stared at them wide-eyed. They wanted to adopt him? He rushed over and wrapped his arms around both of them.

"You mean it? You're really going to adopt me?" he whispered. He felt the tension flood out of Iruka as his arms came up to hold him tightly.

"You bet we are," he said softly. Kakashi nodded.

Naruto stepped back and swiped at a tear that threatened to fall. "Thank you. I can't even begin to tell you..." He almost choked as he tried to talk past the lump in his throat.

"We're happy that you want to stay with us," Kakashi said honestly. Naruto couldn't stop grinning at them. "Why don't we sit down and watch a family movie?" he suggested. Everyone agreed. They chose Inception. Mind blown.

Naruto made his way up to bed. He called Sasuke as he stripped down. "They want to adopt me for my birthday," he said, skipping the greeting.

"That's great!" Sasuke enthused. "I'm so happy for you Naruto. I wish I could give you a hug. I really didn't want to let you leave after today's earlier events. I guess I understand why your parents wanted you home tonight. Still don't know why Itachi wanted me here unless he was in on it."

"It's possible. He is pretty sneaky." Naruto laughed and laid down. "Sasuke? If I tell you something will you promise not to freak out?"

"Yeah, I promise. What's up?" Sasuke sounded really curious.

Naruto took a deep breath and forced the words out. "I think... I think I'm in love with you. I love you Sasuke." He felt like someone was pinching his throat because he couldn't breathe now that he'd actually said it and his throat seemed to be closing off. He was starting to freak out, to worry that he'd ruined the best relationship he'd ever had.

"I love you too, Naruto." Naruto thought he might pass out. He loved him? Oh God. He drew in a much needed gasp of air and stared at his ceiling in a daze. "You worry too much," Sasuke said calmly. Says the man who took forever to respond! Naruto couldn't believe that Sasuke was telling him to lighten up about something so important, but he decided to let it go. All that mattered was that he'd returned his feelings. "Hey, you still there?"

"Yeah. Just examining this parallel universe I seem to have stumbled into," he responded absently as he contemplated his ceiling.

Sasuke snorted on the other end of the line. "Well, I'm going to hit the hay since I have that test in driver's ed tomorrow."

"Alright. I guess I probably should too. I have a math test tomorrow." They didn't hang up.

"Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight Naruto."

"Goodnight Sasuke." Still more silence. They sucked at hanging up.

"I love you," Sasuke said quietly.

"I love you too," Naruto murmured. "Bye."

"Bye." Sasuke hung up. Naruto sighed. There was no way he was getting any sleep yet. He sent a text to Suigetsu and Gaara. _Kakashi and Iruka want to adopt me for my birthday and I told Sasuke I love him._ He decided on a text so that he wouldn't wake Suigetsu. He knew he had to work tomorrow. As for Gaara, he wasn't sure if he was awake. Aparently he was because his phone rang almost immediately.

"Oh my God! You didn't tell me that!" he all but shouted.

"I didn't know until today." He explained what had happened an what Suigetsu had said to him.

"Wow. Your day's been crazy! First that and then your parents spring that one on you, then you tell Sasuke and he says it back. It seems like you earned a lot of good news today somehow."

"I know. I'm still reeling from all of it." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"At least Kakashi and Iruka gave you a choice. From what you said it sounds like they were afraid you'd pick the former. I'm glad you set them straight. Dummies." They both laughed.

"Thanks for being so supportive all the time," Naruto said sincerely.

"Don't mention. You do the same for me all the time. 'Night Naruto."

"'Night. See you tomorrow." He plugged his phone in and went to sleep.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**I don't think this story is going to have too many more chapters guys. I've kind of caught up to my current life in a lot of ways, so I'm pretty much just making stuff up after this one. Rated MA for eighteen and older. **

**Chapter Eighteen - A Very Happy Birthday.**

It was the day before his birthday and he was sitting in the courthouse with his parents. They'd all made sure that their schedules were free that day, Naruto even skipped school with his parent's permission and Sasuke had done the same in order to accompany him. The four of them had spent a while filling out paperwork and now they were just sitting there waiting to find out what they had to do next. A social worker approached them. "Hello. My name is Anko. I'm going to come home with you to evaluate you before any decisions can be made. Are you free anytime today?"

"We're free right now," Iruka said eagerly. "Would you like to ride with us?"

"That would be appreciated, yes. We're going to need to swing by a doctor's office as well. He needs a full physical, x-rays and all."

"Actually we know someone who could get him in immediately," Sasuke said smoothly. Naruto gulped. He hadn't seen Yahiko after that incident and he wasn't sure how he felt about seeing the man again, but this was pretty important. Sasuke made the call while they were on their way.

"Naruto. It's nice to see you. How are you today?" Yahiko asked as Naruto stepped into the room.

"I'm well. You?" he asked politely.

"I'm splendid. Alright. I hear you're here for a full physical?" Naruto nodded. "Well hop up on the table and we'll do the basics first." Yahiko checked his mouth, ears and nose, tested his reflexes, used a small flashlight to check his pupils' responsiveness. Everything was doing well. He drew blood, which was unpleasant, to be run through a tox screen for more extensive things and made him do a pee test for some of the lesser things. He felt like he was poked, prodded and groped enough to fill his quota for the year. He also went in for x-rays. They had an onsite lab so the blood results came back within the hour. "Everything seems to be in order. I'd be more than happy to make a copy of the records and send the x-rays with you," Yahiko said to Anko.

"That would be preferable," she said politely with a satisfied smile. Naruto took that to mean that everything was going well so far. They made their way to the house as soon as possible and the lady walked around the house interstedly. Naruto accompanied her alone, talking to her when she asked him seemingly random questions. He started to notice how much he avoided getting too close to her physically and furrowed his eyebrows. Did he do that to everyone? He didn't think so. He knew he didn't shy away from his friends, or his parents. And he definitely didn't shy away from Sasuke. Maybe it was just people he didn't know well? When they were back in the living room he stood by Iruka who pulled him into a reassuring half hug. He saw Anko's eyes studied the gesture. So she'd noticed his aversion to touch as well? That couldn't be good, could it? "Well he's obviously comfortable here," she stated after a moment. "The living conditions are up to standards and his medical records are promising. We'll need to get a psychological evaluation before I can say for sure, but I'm pretty sure you're in the clear." She grinned at them.

"I think I can help with that," Itachi said as he entered the living room. Naruto raised an eyebrow. When had he gotten here. He seemed to glance at him and then Sasuke before turning back to Anko. Naruto looked at Sasuke who smirked and shrugged. He'd definitely had some part in this. "Here are copies of all of my files since he started seeing me. I can say very confidently that he is both mentally sound and happy. I have no objections to offer."

"Thank you. This definitely makes things easier. Things don't usually go this smoothly so it's hard to say when you'll get the phone call, but I'm going to go ahead and approve you guys." She smiled brightly at them. Kakashi drove her back to the courthouse while Iruka and Naruto did a little victory dance.

"This definitely calls for a celebration. We're all going out to dinner tonight," Iruka announced. "And Sasuke, why don't you invite Dr. Yahiko as well? We owe him a lot for getting us in so quickly."

Sasuke smiled smugly. "I'll call him right now. I'm very happy for you guys and I'm glad everything worked out." He turned away to talk on the phone.

Naruto turned to Itachi. "Why don't you invite Guren and her son?" he suggested.

Itachi looked at him in surprise. "How did you...?"

"Sasuke told me. He said you were driving him nutts by not just marrying her already, or at least moving in together." He grinned mischievously. Itachi looked stunned.

Just then Kakashi walked in. "Well I think that went well," he said to the room at large.

Sasuke came back as he put his cell away. "He said he's in."

"Good. We'll probably leave around seven." Everyone nodded and went their own ways.

"Happy birthday!" everyone chorused as Naruto walked into the house. He stared in astonishment. Everyone was there including Suigetsu and the family he hadn't met yet. Itachi had invited Guren and Yuukimaru as well. The house seemed pleasantly full. Most of the younger people were wearing party hats. He almost lost it when he saw Kakashi wearing one too. Sasuke, the one who'd brought him home, walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Happy birthday," he murmured as he nuzzled his neck. "Are you surprised?" He nodded slightly. Everyone wanted to talk to him and he felt like he spent the whole night making his rounds through the crowd. Even some of Kakashi's fellow officers had shown up and he was meeting them for the first time as well. He was surprised at how tame Suigetsu's family was. With him being a spaz it was an odd combination, but it seemed they seemed to mesh perfectly. He cut the cake, which he hadn't had since his seventh birthday, and fell in love with whatever kind of frosting they'd put on it. Apparently it was buttercream. Yum. It was almost midnight by the time everyone started to head home. It was amazing that his parents had let them stay that late when tomorrow was a school day. He was even more surprised that they allowed Sasuke to stay.

Their relationship had been a little strained since the incident with Matsure. They'd still spent as much time with each other as usual, but after he'd gone home that night they hadn't so much as kissed properly. Going to bed was slightly awkward; this was their first sleepover since then. Sasuke shifted a little uncomfortably as they stood before the bed. Naruto looked determinedly at his feet. He remembered how affectionate Sasuke had been when the party first started and he thought about how much he'd missed that closeness lately. So, without thinking, he pulled the raven roughly against him and buried his face in the pale boy's shoulder. "I miss you," he whispered.

Sasuke held him tightly. "I'm right here silly," he murmured.

"That's not what I mean," Naruto said, rolling his eyes a little.

After a moment, "I know. I miss you too." Naruto leaned back and locked lips with the boy he'd only recently confessed to.

He decided to remind him of that fact. "I love you." He rubbed noses with him.

"I love you too," Sasuke said with a small smile. The raven bent his head slowly and Naruto met him halfway. The blond led Sasuke to the bed and pulled him down onto it. They moved against each other in barely restrained passion. It had been way too long. When they started pulling each other's clothes off Naruto got up to turn some music on. He wasn't sure just how much Kakashi and Iruka could hear even though they were downstairs. When they were finally in nothing but their birthday suits Sasuke reversed their rolls so that Naruto was on top.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked in alarm.

"I want you on top this time," Sasuke said quietly.

Naruto shook his head vigorously. "I don't want to be dominant Sasuke!" he insisted vehemently.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I just meant I wanted you on top of me while we do it, not that I wanted to be submissive. But now that we're on the subject, why are you so scared of it?" Naruto blushed. Oh. He kissed Sasuke roughly. Sasuke broke the kiss and shook his head. "You're not distracting me this time Naruto. Talk to me. That's part of being close too you know." Naruto gulped. Maybe if he gave him a blow job... "I know what you're thinking," Sasuke reprimanded and held onto him tightly. "I'm not letting you move until you tell me."

Naruto whimpered into Sasuke's chest. He didn't like talking about stuff like this, especially not when he was embarrassed and feeling insecure. Sasuke rubbed his back soothingly. "You'll think I'm sick," he whispered fearfully.

"Never," Sasuke said gently as he kissed his nose.

"I've never been the dominant one. Every time something sexual happened to me I was underneath them. I guess I just feel like I'm only really wanted if I'm on bottom. It's like if I'm on top then you're only doing it because I want you to. It feels like I'm forcing you or something." He refused to meet Sasuke's eyes.

"I wish you didn't feel that way, but I don't think there's anything wrong with you because you do. I can understand where you might have gotten that idea. I'm sorry that those assholes hurt you so badly." He kissed him soothingly. "Do you think you can be on top as long as I'm doing the work?" Sasuke asked softly.

Naruto bit his lip. If he really wanted to be a normal teenage boy then he was going to have to try to get past some of his fears. He swallowed and breathed, "Yes." Sasuke eased him into it like he had the first time. They just held each other and made out for around twenty minutes. When Sasuke started preparing him he let himself enjoy the moment. When he felt the older boy pushing into him he froze. It felt very strange with gravity on his side. It was only when he was seated upright with Sasuke buried in him to the hilt that he started to panic a little. The raven seemed to notice because he pulled him down so that he could abuse his neck a little while he started thrusting. Naruto tried to forget that he was afraid, but he just couldn't let go completely. After almost half an hour of being frustratingly close to his climax he was ready to cry. Sasuke was feeling very strained at this point because he was holding back his own climax with everything he had. He wanted to blond to go with him. He stroked him harder and looked him straight in the eye.

"I love you Naruto. Please let go for me," he said in a slightly desperate voice.

"I can't," the blond whimpered. Sasuke gave up stroking him to grab his hips and use them to move him up and down slowly. When Naruto started to squirm he picked up the pace. "I love you," he repeated over and over again, punctuating each word with a forceful thrust. He was in the middle of saying it for the eighth time when Naruto clenched tightly around him and came with a muffled cry. Sasuke let go as soon as Naruto's cum hit the pale boy's chest. The blond collapsed on top of Sasuke and clung to him as though his life depended on it. It wasn't until Sasuke pulled his chin up to kiss the tears from his cheeks that he realized he was crying.

"I'm sorry. We won't try that again until you're ready," he said calmly.

"I'm sorry. I kept you from enjoying yourself," Naruto whimpered.

Sasuke shook his head. "There wasn't a single second that I was not enjoying myself. I wasn't having trouble getting there Naruto. As a matter of fact I was there long before you were. I just wanted to hold out until you were there too because seeing you cum is one of the things I love the most when we do this. It turns me on in a way that no amount of foreplay can." Naruto blushed furiously.

He was quiet a moment. "You really didn't think it was terrible?" he asked timidly.

"I thought it was wonderful. Everytime with you is amazing. Now stop being so sad, I don't like it when you cry. I want to see you smile." Naruto heard the sadness in his tone.

He attempted a smile and kissed him hesitantly. "It wasn't as bad as I thought. I just couldn't quit thinking long enough to let myself really get into it," he admitted.

"Well maybe we can fix that someday, but not until you're completely comfortable with trying. I'm sorry I pushed you."

"Maybe sometimes I need a push," Naruto said in a hushed tone. Sasuke smiled tenderly at him. He cuddled closer, not bothering to clean up. He would just do laundry in the morning or something if they made a mess and they could just use a wash cloth before school. Right now he was comfortable and he wanted to stay that way. He went to sleep with Sasuke's heart beating reassuringly beneath his ear.

When Naruto got home after school the next day Iruka was grinning like crazy. He pulled Naruto into a tight hug and just held him for a long time. When Sasuke cleared his throat a little Iruka pulled away and stared down into Naruto's face. "Kakashi and I have to go sign a few things in order to finalize it, but we've been approved Naruto. You're officially our son now." He was smiling from ear to ear. Naruto felt his heart speed up and a smile slowly spread across his own face. He hugged Iruka so tightly the man couldn't breathe until Sasuke pried him away.

"Congratulations Naruto. You've finally found a family," he said happily before kissing his cheek. Naruto smiled at him. Yeah, he finally had. And Sasuke was definitely a part of it. He laced their fingers together as he allowed himself to think of the future for the first time in nearly a decade. This had to be the best moment of his life.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

**Sorry for the late update guys. I started a new job and I'm never home. It will probably be next weekend before I update again, but I think that will be the final chapter, so it shouldn't be too bad. **

**Chapter Nineteen - Reunions.**

"Sasuke Uchiha!" principal Sarutobi called and Naruto felt the boy beside him get to his feet. He watched him make his way to the stage and receive his diploma. Naruto was one of the ones who was clapping the loudest, though he heard Itachi and his wife Guren, along with their son Yuukimaru, drowning out the applause with their shouts. He grinned. "Naruto Uzumaki!" the man called and Naruto got to his feet. He took his diploma with the biggest smile his face could handle without breaking and looked out at the cheers that were coming his way. Sasuke stood off with the other people who had graduated and a small group of them were clapping and howling and wolf whistling. He felt his heart to a backflip as he saw Sasuke's genuine smile while his hands came together. Kiba was the main one responsible for the howling and Hinata was giggling beside him while she clapped. Gaara and Neji were first pumping and wolf whistling. Of course. He knew Gaara would do something like that, though he had to admit that Neji surprised him. Lee stood with Ino, Choji, Shino, Ten-Ten and Sora who were all grinning and clapping. Of the faculty Deidara, Sasori and Sakura clapped the loudest. He looked through the crowd until his eyes fell on his parents who were both standing. Iruka looked like he might be crying. Suigetsu and his family were standing next to them and he was happy they could make it. He'd become good friends with Sai over the past year and he was happy to have both his brother and his friend here. Gaara's family, as well as Shikamaru who had graduated a while back, were a few rows back and they all seemed happy to see him up there. And then he froze. In the back of the crowd, clapping almost as loud as his parents, were two very familiar faces. He made his way off the stage in a daze.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked quietly as he joined them.

"I invited them, but I didn't think they'd actually come. I didn't think they'd even open the invitation. I was sure they had to have either forgotten me or hated me after what happened," he whispered, staring at those two people. Sasuke followed his line of sight curiously.

"Who are they Naruto?" he murmured. They seemed like an older couple.

"My first parents..." he breathed. He saw Sasuke's stunned face, but he didn't say anything more. When the ceremony was over and they were free to mingle he walked over to Suigetsu. "Sui... look in the back there..." he said hesitantly, biting his lip in uncertainty. Would this bring up bad memories for him? He watched Suigetsu's eyes widen and his body go rigid in shock. "I invited them, but I never expected them to come..." he whispered as he waited for the older boy to say something. Instead his brother started to move towards them and Naruto followed nervously.

"What are you doing here?" Suigetsu asked hoarsely when they finally reached them.

Jiraiya looked at him sadly. "Even though we weren't the best parents we never forgot about you guys. When we got that invitation we wanted to watch Naruto walk across that stage. We didn't realize you would be here, but I guess I'm glad that you are so that I can apologize. What I did was wrong. I let something I had no control over consume me and it changed me for the worse. What I did to all of you, especially you Suigetsu, was horrible. I know you'll never forgive me, but I wanted you to know that I'm sorry and that I turned myself around after I lost you guys. I never meant to hurt any of you." The man looked much older than Naruto remembered and he wondered just how much he'd suffered because of his actions.

Tsunade looked at Naruto with tears in her eyes. "I know it doesn't mean much, but Naruto I am so proud of you. I can't believe how much you've grown up." She looked like she wanted to touch him. He knew that the trembling boy next to him was just as unsure of what to do as he was. And then he felt the arms that wrapped around his waist and the chin that rested on his shoulder.

"Everything okay, Love?" Sasuke asked protectively. Naruto gulped and nodded. He looked around to see the small group that had gathered around to support him. He took a deep, calming breath.

"Sasuke, this is Tsunade and Jiraiya. Guys, this is my fiance Sasuke." He saw Jiraiya's surprise and Tsunade's interest. He quickly turned away to look at his parents. "And these are my parents Iruka and Kakashi." He looked at Gaara and Neji on his other side. "And my friends Gaara and Neji." Gaara gave him a look and he snorted. "Okay, my best friend Gaara and his boyfriend Neji." Gaara gave him a nod as if to say 'damn straight'. "And that's my brother-in-law Itachi, my sister-in-law Guren and my nephew Yuukimaru."

"This is my dad Yamato and my brother Sai," Suigetsu said quietly as he joined the two that were standing slightly behind him.

"We're glad you have people who care about you," Tsunade said gruffly with a small smile. Jiraiya attempted to smile too. "Well, congratulations to all of you. We'll just be going now." They started to leave.

"Wait!" Suigetsu and Naruto yelled at the same time. They exchanged a look and nodded before turning back to the people who'd once been their family. "Stay for dinner. We're going out to celebrate and we'd like it if you'd come with us," Naruto blurted out.

The two seemed surprised and he watched their eyes dart to the parental figures in the group as though asking permission. Slowly Jiraiya said, "We'd love to." Naruto felt himself turn to jelly in Sasuke's arms and was glad the raven was holding him so tightly. He saw Suigetsu sag as well out of the corner of his eye.

They all started to leave, but someone across the room caught his eye. Standing next to Deidara was Karin and she was holding Haku. He steered Sasuke away from the group and approached the woman who was smiling sadly at him. "Hello Naruto. Congratulations."

"Uncle Naru?" Haku questioned as he peeked around Karin at him. His face lit up. "Uncle Naru!" Naruto felt his heart stop. Uncle Naru? Haku was reaching for him. Naruto numbly held his arms out and accepted his weight.

"He missed you when you left. You always were good with him. I had a picture of you and I told him you were his uncle whenever he asked about it," she said apologetically.

"He's gotten so big," he whispered, his voice cracking as he held the little boy close. God he'd missed him.

"I'm five now," Haku said proudly. "I'm in kindergarten!" he bragged with a wide grin. He was so cute!

"You are?" he said in an exagerated gasp. "No way! You're just too big man!" he exclaimed. Haku giggled and he saw Sasuke smile. Sasuke had never really seen him around children so he was only just now finding out that he was really good with them. "Do you want to meet your Uncle Sasu?" he asked mischievously as he plopped the boy into Sasuke's arms. He watched the raven panic for a moment before holding him awkwardly.

"Uh, hi," he muttered. Apparently he had no idea what to do with kids. Naruto grinned.

"Hello! My name's Haku!" he announced happily.

"Uncle Sasu, huh?" Karin asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah. Karin, this is my fiance, Sasuke." She watched the boy with interest as he tried to figure out what to do with the squirming thing in his arms. Naruto laughed and took Haku from him. They spent a few moments just talking before he said, "Why don't you, Haku, Deidara and Sasori come with us to dinner? We've already invited some unexpected guests, so it won't cause any problems to invite some more."

Karing smiled. "Sure." Deidara nodded and went to go grab Sasori. Naruto walked back over to his crowd of onlookers with Haku giggling happily on his back. Sasuke looked perplexed, his eyes transfixed to the strange creature on Naruto's back. Itachi chuckled when he saw the look on his brother's face. They had a wonderful dinner, though they took up three tables, and Naruto ordered himself something he'd never had before and got addicted. It was a bacon and chicken quesadilla and it was delicious. Sasuke ordered a steak... Yuck... He watched a few people munch on some onion rings and scrunched up his nose. His brother was eating fish which was really grossing him out. He approved of Gaara's enormous cheeseburger and thought that Neji's BLT looked really good, especially with the grilled asparagus on the side. Everyone was laughing and catching up, and his parents were surprisingly accepting of the other guests that hadn't been planned on. All in all it was a fantastic experience.

"So, how is life?" Gaara asked as he tore into the burger that was too tall to fit into his mouth properly.

"Unbelievably great. You?" Naruto asked as he took another mouthwatering bite of his quesadilla.

"Perfect in my opinion. I'm eighteen, free from high school, and getting married to the love of my life. Plus, I just found out that I'm going to be an uncle!"

"No way! Kankuro or Temari?"

"Shika and Temari! Can you believe it? Temari's freaking out and Shikamaru's the calm one. Seems like it should be the other way around, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. What about you? Do you want kids?"

"I plan to adopt at some point. But not yet. We're going to college first. We both got accepted to Stanford."

"That's great! We really need to talk more!" Naruto stated firmly.

"I agree completely. Which is why I expect to hear from you at least once a week while I'm away. So, what are you going to do?"  
"I have a few ideas. We're both going to go to CU Boulder, and after I get my BA I plan to be a foster parent."

"That's awesome. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks. When are you guys leaving?"

"Well next term starts in just a few days, so we're waiting for the one after which starts in August, so around the beginning of August so that we can get settled in."

"Okay. That doesn't interfere with my plans then."

"What plans?" Gaara asked curiously.

"Sasuke and I are tying the knot in July and you're going to be my best man." There was no asking about it.

"Thank God!" Suigetsu interrupted. "I was afraid you were going to ask me! You know I can't stand still for more than two minutes."

"I already took that into consideration," Naruto said with a laugh.

Gaara looked stunned. "No fair! You're getting married before me?"

"Hey! I'll be at your wedding when you decide it's time no matter what, so don't complain."

"I told you, we're waiting a little bit. We don't want to jump into anything."

"I understand. You guys are being smart. Unfortunately I'm stupid and excited, so I say July. End of story."

"Fine," Gaara said, pretending to be grumpy. The rest of the table laughed. "Are you going to wear a dress?" Gaara asked devilishly.

Naruto choked on the bite he'd just taken. "That's not even funny!" he shouted through his snorts of laughter.

"Then why are you laughing?" Gaara asked challengingly.

"Because you're stupid!" he gasped. He finally calmed down. "Are _you_ going to wear a dress?"

"Only if I get paid one thousand dollars up front," he said casually. Naruto lost it all over again.

"Well then there's your answer!" he panted.

"Well, you know... I do happen to be rich..." Gaara trailed of suggestively.

"Do it and I swear I'll make you were a pink one!" Naruto threatened. Everyone was laughing by now. Things couldn't have been more perfect. Or so he thought until Sasuke held him captive in his room that night. He would never be able to look at chocolate the same way again! All in all one of the best days of his life.

**Only one more chapter guys. Anything you want to see in it? I only have a rough outline at the moment. Hope you enjoyed. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**This is it guys, the final chapter. I hope you all have enjoyed this story. Thanks to everyone who read/followed/favorited/reviewed. It really helps an author to get such support. This chapter is rated MA, though I want everyone to be able to read it so I'll clearly mark the yaoi. Enjoy. **

**Chapter Twenty - A Happy Ending.**

"And do you, Sasuke Uchiha, take Naruto to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do." Naruto smiled brilliantly up at him.

"I declare you man and husband. You may now kiss your partner."

Naruto felt his heart to a flip when Sasuke pressed his lips to his lovingly. He gave back as good as he got and the witnessess applauded. They broke apart, happy and radiant - well, at least Naruto was radiant - and looked out over their friends and family. Suigetsu had been Naruto's best man and Itachi had been Sasuke's. Kakashi had walked Naruto down the aisle. Naruto had dressed in a simple off-white tux and Sasuke the traditional black tux with white shirt. They'd both sported a red rose. The ring on Naruto's finger made him feel unbelievably loved as he grinned at a sniffling Iruka. The tux he was wearing had been his and he'd passed it on to Naruto. Naruto had been extremely touched, but he was starting to think that it meant more to Iruka to see him wear than it ever could have to him. His first stop was to hug his parents. After that, with Sasuke glued to his side, he mingled until the DJ started up the dance music. Their first dance as a married couple was to the song that had officially become their song only a few months ago. Can You Feel The Love Tonight by Elton John floated through the speakers as they swayed to the lyrics. It was silly how it had become theirs. They'd been watching The Lion King one day and Sasuke had started singing Simba's part while Naruto had automatically gone to Nala's part. They'd both looked at each other and grinned and that was all it took. They'd chosen Elton John's more practical rendition for the occasion, but they both knew those lyrics as well. Naruto sang the lyrics softly now. Sasuke had been humming the opening verse, so Naruto started in on the chorus.

"And can you feel the love tonight? It is where we are. It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer that we got this far. And can you feel the love tonight? How it's laid to rest. It's enough to make kings and vagabonds believe the very best." He kissed Sasuke tenderly as he finished.

"There's a time for everyone if they only learn, that the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn. There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors, when the heart of this star-crossed voyager beats in time with yours," Sasuke murmured softly. Naruto pulled him to him with his hand in his hair and they danced the remainder of the song with their lips locked together. The rest of the music was pretty upbeat and everyone was tired by the time the party was over. They both changed into more comfortable clothes, namely sweat pants and T-shirts for sleeping, and caught a ride with his parents to the airport after saying goodbye to Itachi and Suigetsu. Iruka was grinning at them as they walked to their terminal and Kakashi had a happy look about him behind his scarf. When they finally got on their plane they made themselves comfortable for the long flight. For some reason they were flying to Texas first, but after that they were on their way to Florida. Sasuke was out like a light as soon as he was allowed to recline his seat. Naruto cuddled up to him and waited for sleep to claim him too. He couldn't believe they were really married. He kept playing with his ring. Finally he placed his left hand over Sasuke's left hand and drifted off for the time being.

When he woke again they were getting ready to land in Dallas, Texas. Sasuke had a death grip on him in his sleep. Giggling, Naruto poked him in his side until he groggily opened his eyes to glare at him. "The plane's landing Love." Sasuke groaned and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The woman next to Naruto muffled a laugh. Naruto grinned unashamedly. The layover was almost an hour long, but surprisingly they only just had enough time to eat before they had to go through security and make their way to boarding. Sasuke resumed his nap on this plane, but Naruto was bored. He pulled out his Sudoku book, one he'd bought especially for this trip, and completed every puzzle before sleep caught up with him. He yawned as he filled in the last number and he realized that his eyes were a little blurry. He put the puzzle book away and once again snuggled up to Sasuke.

"We're here Love," Sasuke was murmuring in his ear. That tickled. Naruto batted him away. Sasuke laughed that throaty laugh and Naruto felt himself getting some morningwood. "Hey, none of that here. Save it for the hotel room," Sasuke said in amusement and Naruto's eyes snapped open. Oh crap he was still on the plane. He blushed and forced himself to calm down while Sasuke chuckled beside him.

"Don't be an ass," Naruto grumbled as he stretched the kinks out. They gathered up their luggage and made their way to the bus that was going to take them to the hotel. Naruto tried to keep his eyes open the entire way there. When they got there and Sasuke checked them in Naruto used the keycard to open the door eagerly, but Sasuke stopped him. The blond looked at his raven questioningly, but before he could utter a single word Sasuke swooped down on him with a devilish grin and carried him over the threshold bridal style. Naruto blushed, but he found he liked it. Sasuke kicked the door shut with his foot and strode purposefully over to the bed. He plopped Naruto down on it and he felt the wind whoosh out of him momentarily. But then Sasuke was on top of him taking his clothes off and he didn't have time to worry about it.

***Restricted* Yaoi!**

Naruto moaned as Sasuke latched onto his neck and bit roughly. His fingers worked quickly to rid the raven of his clothes. Sasuke had concocted this evil scheme to make Naruto want him more when they finally went on their honeymoon. The jerk hadn't touched him in over two months. The dance today had seemed almost unbearably erotic and the passionate kisses had nearly been his undoing. Sleeping next to someone who refused to relieve the sexual tension was torture. He heard himself whimper and blushed furiously. Sasuke chuckled huskily and kissed down Naruto's bare chest. The blond didn't know how his clothes had disappeared, but he was sincerely glad they had. He arched into the kisses and gasped in pleasure when Sasuke's tongue teased his nipple. Naruto would never admit it, but over the past year or so he'd become a little bit of a sex addict and the abstinence of the last few months had been painful. Most people would have just spent a little extra time in the shower, but Naruto could never get himself off for some reason. There was a little voice in the back of his head that said it was a form of cheating and another part that just couldn't reach completion without assistance. The pleasure just wasn't there no matter what he did. Due to these simple facts meant that at this very moment he was extremely sensitive. So when Sasuke started to stroke him lightly he started cumming. As soon as the world came back into existance and he saw Sasuke's questioning eyes he nearly died of embarrassment.

"Did we get a little over excited for some reason?" Sasuke murmured as he kissed him tenderly. Naruto didn't answer. "Love?"

"I don't want to talk about it," he grumped.

"I'm curious though," Sasuke whispered as he nibbled his earlobe. Naruto crossed his arms and stayed stubbornly silent. "Don't tell me you get this sensitive when you go a few months without me? Don't you touch yourself?" he asked curiously as he continued the comforting and slightly enticing caresses with his tongue and lips. And teeth. Dear God those teeth. He was unintentionally responding.

"No," he whispered as he once again arched into Sasuke's mouth.

The raven pulled back. "Really?" He looked amazed.

"Really. Do you?" Naruto asked as his fingers tangled in Sasuke's hair without his permission.

"Yes. I just assumed you did too. Why didn't you?"

Naruto really didn't want to answer. "I can't," he finally muttered.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. "Can't?"

"I can't cum when I do, so I might as well not even try. Only you have the ability to give me that much pleasure." Naruto was blushing again, but Sasuke was looking at him lovingly and hungrily.

"I'm glad," he breathed into his ear before sliding down to lick up some of the previous excretions before taking the blond into his mouth. Naruto's toes curled as he felt himself growing hard again. As soon as he was fully erect Sasuke started to stretch him out. Naruto pushed himself gratefully onto those penetrating fingers and tried to maneuver so that he would hit his prostate. Sasuke pulled out when he realized what he was doing and Naruto heard a growl rumble from his own throat. He didn't have time to be embarrassed because Sasuke was sliding into him and for the first time in forever he felt entirely complete. He looked up into the onyx eyes that had become so familiar. His husband's eyes. This man had married him, promised to be with him forever. He felt tears sting his eyes as he pulled the pale man into his embrace and held on tightly. Sasuke started moving and Naruto felt himself climing higher and higher. When he finally exploded again it was more intense than it had ever been before. He didn't stop clinging as he settled back down to earth. "I love you Naruto," Sasuke said quietly. He linked his hand with the one that Sasuke wore his ring on and smiled when the raven brought his own ring finger up to his luscious lips and kissed every knuckle.

"I love you too Sasuke." He kissed him happily and snuggled up to him for the time being.

**End Yaoi.**

Naruto glanced at the clock lazily after some time had been passed in a wonderful daze. He yawned and sat up as he comprehended the numbers on the little machine. Sasuke looked like he was sleeping. The blond leaned down to kiss him passionately before slipping out of bed. Sasuke opened a bleery eye and stared up at him. "Why are you getting dressed?" He watched as his lover's eyes registered the bathing suit part of his outfit. "Are we going swimming?"

"Nope. Better. We're swimming with the dolphins." He grinned at the confused look on his face. "Don't worry. I know that's not exactly your idea of fun. I booked a scuba diving session for tomorrow afternoon." Sasuke contemplated that for a moment before rolling out of bed with a sigh. Before he did anything though he came up behind Naruto and wrapped his arms around his waist. Naruto sighed happily when the taller man nuzzled his ear.

"Fine. But I get to pick what we do every other day. Just so you know for the most part it's going to include sex."

Naruto laughed at the warning. "Figures. Oh well, I have no objections. Though I do wish you wouldn't use that term anymore. I have nothing against the word 'sex' in general it's just that we've moved beyond sexual partners to lifelong partners and I prefer the term 'making love' at this stage of the game. I'm sure at some point we'll both call it 'falling asleep in funny positions', but for now I'm happy with 'making love'."

Sasuke laughed at that last sentence. When he finally composed himself he said, "Fine. When we get back here tonight I'm going to make love to you until you can't even stand on your own and you're screaming my name in extacy."

Naruto shivered at the thought. "I'm looking forward to it," he murmured. He felt Sasuke grin against his neck and he knew that this new beginning was only a prelude to a life full of wonderful moments like those they'd shared today.


End file.
